


Marks and bonds

by Akemichan



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-10-28 08:58:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 45,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10828020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akemichan/pseuds/Akemichan
Summary: "We can't say to be really happy, really complete, really ourselves, until we find out Soulmate. The person we aren't suppose to live without.In the past centuries finding a Soulmate was a matter of luck, but not anymore.The Soulmate System is finally working!From now on, people won't search for their Soulmate anymore, because the Soulmate System will find it for you.Be ready, everyone, to find your happy ever after ending!"From the Soulmate System Inauguration SpeechAce doesn't trust the Soulmates System, but he can't escape it.Marco doesn't care about the Soulmates System, but he's ready to go along with it to protect his family.Sabo hates the Soulmates System, but it takes time to defeat it.In a world where Soulmates are controlled by the World Government, life isn't easy for people who don't trust, don't care or hates the System.And if Ace and Marco being Soulmates is difficult enough, things just become dangerous and dangerous when you add a third Soulmate in the mix.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> This is my first story for this year's One Piece Big Bang!
> 
> My partner is Zefiar, who made a lot of amazing drawings for the story! I'll add them in the text, but please check the Tumbrl because the style is gorgeous: https://zefiar.tumblr.com/  
> I felt blessed to work with such an amazing artist! Again, Zefiar, thank you so much for being my partner!
> 
> I also need to thank my beta Christine who managed to check all the story in time!
> 
> I hope you're going to enjoy both story and art!

Ace stretched his arms towards the sky. Lectures weren’t always so annoying, but sometimes his narcolepsy got the best of him and hearing a man speaking for two or more hours wasn’t the best way to stay awake.

He yawned, trying to focus again on his friends’ conversation.

“Uh-oh,” Squardo commented, “Looks like someone has just been rejected.”

Ace tilted his head to the side to look where Squardo was pointing to. In the parking lot of the University Building, the old truck trunk of the janitor, Oars, was covered with insulting words in red paint. Oars, kneeling in front of his trunk, was cleaning it, his arms and his jacket covered in red.

One of the words said: Soulless = useless.

“Are you sure?” White Bay asked. “Rejecting him is something that would affect the life of the person who did it, not only Oars.”

“Yeah, but… Maybe better alone for the rest of your life than with a man like Oars?” Squardo replied. “I mean; I don’t blame her.”

“There should be a big age gap if Oars found her now,” Doma reflected. “Maybe she was scared. Or he was the one who rejected her because she was is too young.”

“It’s still Oars’s fault. He should have forced her to be with him.” Squardo shrugged.

Ace was the only one who hadn’t commented.

And he didn’t. He passed his friends and reached Oars. He knelt next to him and took one of the white clothes on the ground.

“May I help?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, but immersed the cloth in the cold water of the bucket, before rubbing the car’s body.

“No, no!” Oars exclaimed. “I don’t want you to be associated with me.”

“Why not?” Ace replied, his eyes fixed on his work.

Oars’ arms widened, pointing to the dirty trunk. “I’m a _Soulless_. Garbage.”

Ace shrugged. “Maybe, but one with a car that needs to be cleaned.”

“May I help too?”

Both men lifted their heads: Moda, a light blush on her face and her hands hidden in her skirt, was in front of them.

“Sure.” Ace smiled and threw her a cloth. Moda rested her bag on the ground and got to work.

Oars was about to protest, but his eyes were already full of tears. He didn’t even hide them, but he returned back rubbing the trunk as the tears crossed his cheeks. The three of them kept working in silence, only broken from time to time by Oars’ sighs. But it was heartwarming for both Ace and Moda when they noticed the tears had stopped and a crocked smile had appeared on Oars’s lips.

“Isn’t that your grandfather?” Moda asked suddenly.

A giant white Volkswagen was parked in the worst possible way in the parking lot. Ace cursed under his breath: sure it was his grandpa. He decided to not pay him attention and kept rubbing the body of the car, even if that part was already clean.

Both Moda and Oars looked at him, perplexed, but they didn’t press. Their attention was only focused on the giant police officer in front of them.

“Let’s go, Ace.”

“Can’t you see I’m busy?” Ace replied, without looking at him. Why should he greet him, if Garp was going to be rude?

“Are you going to disobey to your grandfather?” Garp was shocked, as it wasn’t something Ace did on daily basis. “Well, someone here needs a lesson.”

“You can go,” Moda said, gently. “We’re almost done here, and I can stay a little more with Oars.”

“Yes!” Oars chirped in. “Thank you so much for all you did for me today!”

Ace looked at both of them, annoyed they had given Garp a reason to take him, but he realized they were only try to help him avoid trouble. So he nodded.

“Okay. Let’s meet tomorrow.” Ace stood up and cleaned his hands on one of the unused clothes. “And Oars… Don’t mind it so much,” he added, nodding at the trunk. He ignored the look Garp gave him and waited him in the car.

“You don’t usually pick me up,” Ace commented, as Garp left the parking lot. “What did I do today?”

“It’s been almost two weeks since your birthday,” Garp stated. “Why haven’t you registered for the _Soulmate Matching_ yet?”

Ace snorted. “You know very well why.”

Garp sighed. “We haven’t any reason to believe your test would be different from anybody else.”

“We haven’t any reason to believe the opposite either,” Ace replied. “Can someone whose parents weren’t Soulmates have the same results as other people? I’m not like them and you know it.”

“Well, they don’t.”

“Oh, I’m a lot more relieved now.” Ace emitted a small laugh. “They will find out as soon as they analyze my blood. What do you think they’ll do once they discover I’m Roger’s son?”

“I don’t know,” Garp admitted. “But not registering for the _Soulmate Matching_ is against the law. If you show good will, the will to stay in the _Soulmate System_ , they will ignore your father.”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Garp didn’t answer. “If you don’t register within the three weeks after your birthday, they will force you to do it.”

“I know.”

Ace didn’t plan to escape from the Matching System of the Soulmates. He just wanted some time for himself, before he had to face his destiny. In the best case, he would become like Oars, an outcast.

Garp looked tired and older than usual, and his big hands clenched the wheel. Ace figured Garp was just trying to protect him the best way he could, since he was a member of the _Soulmate Agency_ himself.

“Okay. Bring me to the nearest _Soulmate Agency Office_.”

“Glad you have some sense in that thick head of yours.”

Garp was already driving towards the _Soulmate Agency Office_ he worked at, so he parked in the spot reserved for him, but then nodded to Ace to go alone. He was going to protect him, but for now he would keep a low profile. Ace didn’t mind. He didn’t need a baby-sitter anyway.

He closed the car door and looked up at the glass building in front of him. All the _Soulmate Agency Office_ s were similar: rectangular, with large window that still couldn’t let anyone look inside, with at least ten floors. Funny enough, the visitors could access only a few of them, and Ace wondered how many secrets were held in the others.

Ace entered by the main door and looked at the sign; the _Soulmate Meeting Office_ was indicated above the center of three lifts, so Ace took it without asking the front office. The lift had only two buttons, one for the second floor and one for the zero floor, so Ace pressed the first one.

He found himself in a waiting hall with some uncomfortable chairs and a small table with a pile of magazines. The wall opposite him had a glass door with a plaque saying ‘Soulmate Matching Registration’. Two people had arrived before him, so Ace sat down and waited for his turn before entering the office.

“I’m here for the registration for the _SM_.”

“That’s our job, so you couldn’t be here for something else.” The girl sitting on the opposite side of the desk smiled, her voice happy.

Ace frowned: he wasn’t there for a laugh.

“Please hand me your ID,” the girl continued.

Ace obeyed, then watched carefully as she inserted it in her machine, automatically registering his data on the system and verifying they were correct. She printed a bunch of cards, before she gave back his ID.

“So, Mister Portgas, now I need you to fill these for me.”

She passed him the papers: each one of them had a number with a bar code on the top right corner, and it was full of questions, both open and multiple choice ones. Ace leafed through the pages. The questions began with ordinary things like occupation or medical history, but they got stranger and stranger. Ace was asked about his preference for everything, from food to colors, and even sexual kinks.

“Did I have to?” Ace asked. “What does this have to do with my Soulmate?”

“Yes, you have to,” the girl answered, with an encouraging smile. “It is important for us to see how well a person matches with his Soulmate in every part of life.”

“Oh, so you admit there could be two Soulmates that don’t match at all,” Ace purred.

“Of course not.” This time, she wasn’t smiling, but it lasted only a second. “If it’s your Soulmate, it’s the right person for you. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a Soulmate, am I right?” She laughed a little. “Some relationships can be a little hard… but everyone is happy in the end.”

Ace looked unimpressed.

“The _SM_ let people find their Soulmates easier. We make people happy, isn’t that great?”

Her eyes shined and Ace wondered if she was instructed to say it or if she actually believed all the bullshit she’d told him.

“Do you have a Soulmate?” he asked her.

And suddenly, her face became stone. “Private question are not allowed here while I’m working,” she stated. “Of course, your file will be classified too. Only the people working here can access it. Now, please fill it out.” Then she ignored him as she prepared the tools for the analysis.

Ace sighed and took a pen. He contemplated for a second the idea to lie about everything, but he only did in some questions he felt were too personal. Even if the file was classified, someone would still have to read it, and there was something Ace just didn’t want anyone to find out: his relationship with his brothers. He wanted to protect them from whatever consequences he might face.

Once he finished, the girl put all the papers in a folder with the same number and bar code assigned to him and placed it in a pile with the tag ‘to archive’.

“Please, your hand.”

Ace held it towards her. She grabbed his index finger and held it up to the point of a small piece of paper. Ace felt a sting and, when the girl took back the paper, he noticed the bloodstain on it. She put it in an envelope, then asked Ace to pass under his tongue a piece of cotton attached to a thin pole. It was then closed in a test tube that, like the envelope, had the same number and bar code as the papers.

Well, at least they pretended to care about privacy, since none of the document had Ace’s name, but only something that could be connected with his ID. Funny they do something like that and, at the same time, ask something as private as if he was into scatting.

“Aaaand we’re done,” the girl smiled. “If you’re lucky and your Soulmate is already in our database, you’ll be informed within a week. Otherwise, I’m sorry but you have to wait until your Soulmate will be sitting here like you in this moment.”

Standing up, Ace hoped that that time would be in the very distant future.


	2. Marco and Ace

Sengoku looked carefully at Akainu standing in front of him. Akainu had requested an urgent meeting without advance notice, which was unusual, so Sengoku was wary. It could be something about national security. So he skipped greetings.

“What happened?”

“Two days ago a boy named Portgas D. Ace presented himself in _Office_ #34 to register,” Akainu stated.

“Like everyone in this world,” Sengoku muttered, impatient.

“Yes. And as usual his blood and his DNA had been tested. It appears he’s the son of Gold Roger.”

“The son of Roger?” Sengoku repeated, eyes widening and mouth hanging open.

“Yes. There’s no mistake about it.” Since Sengoku cursed under his breath but said nothing, Akainu added, “I took permission to investigate into Portags D. Ace’s personal files. Looks like he’s the foster nephew of Vice Chairman Monkey D. Garp.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sengoku nodded. “Damn Garp. He’s a hot-head, but thinking he hid something so big right under our noses…”

Akainu didn’t comment. “There’s more, sir.”

“Go ahead,” Sengoku sighed.

“Portgas D. Ace has a match in our _Soulmate Database_.”

Akainu preferred being dramatic and moved the folder about the case forward on the desk. Sengoku glared at him for a second, but opened the folder and read it: his eyes became, if possible, even wider.

“Roger’s son’s Soulmate is one of the Edward Newgate’s scoundrels?”

There wasn’t any reason to answer, since Sengoku was only recapping what was written on the papers, but Akainu nodded.

“How can we proceed?” he asked then. “If it was only about Roger’s son, I could have suggested an erasure, but…”

Sengoku lifted his hand to stop him. He rested his head against his other hand and reflected. His finger tapped on the folder still opened in front of him.

“It’s been years since the last time we’ve had a way to slip into Newgate’s gang and I don’t want to miss it,” Sengoku admitted. “They’ve been having their way for too long and it is time to bring them back in the _Soulmate System_.”

“I figured that much,” Akainu agreed.

“But, at the same time, thinking they’ll meet Roger’s son…”

Akainu moved forwards and closed the folder. “A little risk is necessary, in this case.”

Sengoku looked at it. “Prepare all the procedures for the _Soulmate Destiny Meeting_.”

“I thought on sending the Cp0 to Newgate, so we can be sure he can’t refuse the call.”

 

“Wise choice, the old man could be cunning enough to testify he never received the notification.” Then Sengoku added, “But I want to be clear, they must be surveilled day and night. I don’t want to give Newgate another reason to believe the _Soulmate System_ is wrong,” he explained. “If they behave, we’ll only have more proof we’re right despite our enemies.”

“Can I have permission to erase Roger’s son, in case?” Akainu asked as he took back the folder.

Sengoku was already focused on the paper he was working on before the interruption, so he only replied briefly.

“Of course.”

***

“They’re here. _Again_.”

Haruta snorted. Her hand moved the curtains of the kitchen so she could take a better look at the mansion’s gate, where three men of the Cp0 were standing. A second later, the doorbell rang.

“The Cp0?” Thatch asked. “I should start cooking for them too, since they’re always here.”

“Let Pops deal with them,” Marco suggested; he sat at the kitchen table and he didn’t even lift his head from his laptop.

“Plus it’s more fun,” Haruta added, amused. “I’ll call him.”

It wasn’t necessary: at the second ring the three of them saw the enormous figure of Edward Newgate rushing towards the entrance door, basically jumping the stairs.

“Enough of this!” They heard him comment, before he was out.

“Oh, this _is_ more fun,” Haruta chirped, before turning at the window.

This time Thatch joined her, with his spoon still in hand, while Marco only raised an eyebrow and sighed. He used to enjoy Pops’ rebuttal to the government officers, but they’ve became so omniums lately that Marco was more concerned for Pops’ health than hurting their pride.

When he didn’t hear neither Thatch nor Haruta laughing at the scene, he worried. He lifted his head: they both looked perplexed.

“Why… Why isn’t Pops yelling at them anymore?” Haruta asked. She wasn’t amused.

Marco joined them: the Cp0 looked less aggressive than usual, or at least they appeared to be by the way they were moving. And Pops… His shoulders were tense, and he remained still in front of them, silent. Then, the head of the Cp0’s group took something from his pocket and passed it to Pops.

Marco, Haruta and Thatch watched as the Cp0 left; Pops returned to the house only when he was sure of it, and appeared in the kitchen a few minutes after. He wasn’t surprise the three of them had peeked from the window, yet he didn’t give them an explanation.

“So? What happened?” Haruta exclaimed, irritated. “Are you going to tell us, or not?”

“Yeah, no fair!” Thatch added. “They didn’t behave as usual.”

“Because they weren’t here to pester us about our way of living,” Newgate explained, as he sat down at the table. “Give me something to drink and I’ll tell you everything.”

Thatch hurried to serve him a glass of whiskey, then took a place in front of him. Haruta was already next to him and both of them looked at him eagerly. Marco knew they were hiding their anxiety behind curiosity, and they hoped to hear something funny instead of bad news. He turned back in front of his laptop, but he didn’t stop observing Pops as he drank the entire glass in one sip.

“You know, my children, I’m not against Soulmates,” Edward began. “They exist, we can’t negate it, and I understand the curiosity of meeting one. What I despise is the _Soulmate System_ that forces people together and, at the same time, turns into garbage all the people that have the misfortune of not having a Soulmate. Or that don’t want one.”

“You’re scaring me, Pops,” Haruta admitted.

All he was saying, they already knew. It was the very reason the Whitebeard Family existed: a place where people with no Soulmate, for whatever reason, could live happy, not alone. They could have a family.

“I’m sorry.” Edward caressed Haruta’s head with his giant hand, making her smile. “I just want to be sure this doesn’t change anything. Whatever Marco’s decision will be.”

“My decision?” Marco blinked and, for the first time, he looked interested in the conversation, though before he was only pretending not to be.

Edward nodded. He lent to him the envelope that, Marco recognized, was the same Pops had received from the CP0.

“They found your Soulmate.”

***

“Aww, that sucks,” was Luffy’s comment once he discovered Ace had received the informative mail about his Soulmate, who he was supposed to meet in few days.

Ace shrugged. “It’s unfortunate, but at least I won’t spend any more days with the anxiety of opening my mail to find out about it.”

Sabo tilted his head. “Don’t go,” he said then. “To the _SDM_ , I mean.”

“Isn’t it like – illegal?” Ace asked, doubt in his voice.

“Yes, it is.” Sabo snorted. “But at least they’ll know you don’t agree with this.”

“It doesn’t matter, really.”

“You aren’t still thinking about what happened with Oars, are you?” Sabo’s gaze was piercing, his eyelids still so he wouldn’t miss any of Ace’s movements.

“No. Of course not…”

“What happened to Oars?” Luffy asked, perplexed. The tone in his voice meant he wouldn’t rest until he got an answer, but Sabo had no reason to hide it from him.

“His Soulmate refused him. Since he’s a decent man he didn’t force the union, and now he’s a nobody in society,” Sabo explained. “Every day someone paints his car or throws eggs at his windows…” He bit his lip and his fist clenched, revealing how much he despised the situation. “Though this isn’t a good reason for Ace to just accept someone out of the blue.”

“Oh…” Luffy blinked, until he fully understood the implication of what Sabo had just told him, the he smiled. “Don’t worry, Ace, we’ll help you clean your car anytime!”

Unable to resist Luffy’s unendingly optimistic side, Ace chuckled. “Thank you, Luffy, but I don’t even have a car.”

“Well, we have a scooter, it’s the same.”

“See?” Sabo commented, with a big smile. “No reason at all to go.”

“Except that it is illegal not to and I don’t want the Government to come and pick me up. Or worse, they could send Gramps.” At the mention of Garp, the other two shivered. “This doesn’t mean I’ll go along with it. I’ll meet my Soulmate and then tell her or him I’m not interested. I want this to be as easy for me as possible. If they find out…”

Ace stopped. Even if both his brothers already knew about his father, it didn’t mean it was something he’d like to remember.

“I won’t give the Government any reason to search me,” he concluded.

Sabo was about to say something, but then he nodded. “Okay.” He turned his head to the television screen, even if it was turned off, to hide his sad expression. “At least your Soulmate is from this city, so you won’t travel far…”

“If people threw eggs at you, they’ll be the stupid ones,” Luffy added. “Why waste eggs when you can eat them?”

Again, Ace couldn’t help but laugh and this time even Sabo joined in.

***

Marco sighed.

He tried, he really tried to ignore Thatch and his looks, paying him no attention while he prepared himself for the _Soulmate Destiny Meeting_. But the situation was becoming ridiculous fast, and even Marco’s usual self-control was at its limit. It was unsettling, having Thatch – the one who was basically unable to shut up – look at him without saying a word.

In the end, he admitted defeated.

“If you have something to say, go ahead.”

Thatch let out a long, dramatic sigh. “Are you really sure about this?” he asked. “Maybe it’s better─”

“─ to let the CP0 have a reason to force this house open and drag me out to meet my Soulmate?” Marco ended the sentence for him. “You should know there’s nothing else we can do, since they found my Soulmate, other than follow their rules.”

 _At least for now_ , Marco thought, but he didn’t share the feeling with Thatch.

“Always the selfless one, aren’t you?” Thatch meant it as a joke, but there was some bitterness in the way he bent his lips down.

“Someone has to be,” Marco agreed, with a little smirk.

“Well, in the end she could be nice,” Thatch commented to himself. “Will you introduce her to me if she’s hot?”

Marco shook his head, but he knew Thatch was only cheered him up, so he went along.

“Why are you so sure my Soulmate’s a girl?”

“A man can dream.”

“Then another man must wake you up. She’ll be too young for you, so the answer is no.”

“Hey, how could you know?” Thatch protested, so adamant he stood up from the chair.

“I’ve been in the _Soulmate Database_ since I was eighteen,” Marco explained him. He spoke as if Thatch was a child. “If they found my Soulmate just now… it probably means he or she turned twenty just now.”

“Well, that makes sense,” Thatch admitted unwilling.

Then he remained silent again, and Marco took the chance to return back to the mirror. He adjusted his necktie for the last time and then put on the suit jacket. He’d chosen his favorite one, light grey with a light blue shirt and a blue necktie. It was for sure a formal dress, because Marco’s objective was to make clear this entire situation, for him, wasn’t any different from work.

Something he had to do, not something he was going to enjoy.

No matter how much the Government publicized finding a Soulmate as the life-changing event which gave people the happy ending forever, Marco knew better how impossible it was to be happy only because the name of another person was marked on your skin.

“That means she’ll be too young for you, too.”

Marco was focused on tying his shoes, so he didn’t understand at first what Thatch was talking about. Then he remembered how their previous conversation ended.

“Correct,” he nodded. He stood up and, with a last look at the clock, he took his coat. It was almost time.

“Then… What do you have in mind?”

“I’ll take the Porsche,” Marco said, shrugging. Without another word, he left the room and headed to the parking lot of the mansion.

He had a lot of things in his mind, but for now he couldn’t share any of them with Thatch. Or with anybody else of his family, because he knew they wouldn’t approved of most of them. First of all, though, he needed to meet his Soulmate. As much as Marco couldn’t stand it, half of the decision of this matter would depend from his Soulmate’s decision.

Marco had only one hope, that he or she wasn’t someone who really believed in the _Soulmate System_. Even if he knew it was a very slim hope, since very few people were brave enough to fight the system and accept a life of loneness and discrimination.

Despite the cool weather, he let the car windows open, so the wind could mess a little with his hair and his mind would cool down. Some of his brothers joked about him and his poker face and Marco would need all of it to face the person who could ruin his life.

When he reached the _Soulmate Agency Office_ , he took some time to find the perfect spot to park his car. He’d chosen the black Porsche because it was both a car he didn’t use often and the one the member of the Soulmate Council preferred, so Marco’s wouldn’t have been so easily recognized. Plus, he parked it at the end of the parking lot, where it couldn’t be seen from the main entrance.

He took the letter from the pocket and read it one last time. For the _Soulmate Destiny Meeting_ , the person should enter from a specific entrance, to avoid the two Soulmates meeting before the government could check on them. So the building had a line of small entrances on both sides.

Marco still looked around, but he didn’t spot anyone else. So he headed to the entrance assigned to him, the first one on the left side: it was just a glass sliding door which led into a small hallway. The only furniture was a desk on the right, where a girl was sitting, while on the left side there were three lifts. Other than that, the walls were occupied by photos of happy and smiling couples and there were so many it was almost impossible to recognize the color of the wall below.

“We hope your photo will join our happy ending wall soon.”

Marco jolted and turned his head to the girl. She was now standing next to him, a huge smile on her face. Marco felt ashamed of himself for having let her approach him without him noticing.

“Don’t be afraid,” the girl said. “Today is a great day!” She returned to her desk and grabbed a paper. “So you are…?”

“Marco Newgate.”

“Oh, yes, I see. How lucky you are.” The big smile was still on her face, making Marco wonder if it was some sort of paralysis. “Miss Vinsmoke will be the one taking care of you. Please, left lift.” She showed him the way with her hand.

“Thank you.”

Marco approached the lift, but the door opened only when the girl pressed some button from her desk. No surprise, since the lift brought people to the offices inside the palace, so nobody could access without permission. And, Marco imagined, the owner of the office should be informed too, to be there waiting for the guests.

And so was ‘Miss Vinsmoke’, because she greeted him when the lift’s doors opened.

“Welcome, Mister Newgate. Please have a seat, we have a lot to discuss.”

Now that Marco met her in person, the girl’s opinion was clear. The woman in front of him was Reiju Vinsmoke, the daughter of one of the scientists that implemented the Soulmate System, so one of the most influential families who worked with the government.

“I didn’t imagine someone so important to be my host today,” Marco admitted, as he sat down at the desk. “I’m flattered.”

Reiju smiled. “I’m not sure you should be,” she replied. “We participate in the _SDM_ only if it could become… problematic.”

“So mine is problematic?” Marco played innocent.

“I recall you being smart enough to understand that your… father’s whereabouts make us a little bit wary,” Reiju answered. “Also, there’s some age gap between you and your Soulmate, which put the _SDM_ in the yellow category. But don’t worry, we’ll do our best to make your relationship work. It’s destiny, after all.”

Marco decided he liked Reiju. She’d talked about important things without hiding anything, and the blabber about destiny had been said with such poison in her tone, Marco was sure she didn’t believe in it at all.

A look at her office solidified his thought: everything was pink and red, from walls to furniture, but there was nothing romantic about it, not a rose or heart or happy photo. The red color was almost like blood. On the wall, butterflies were closed in red frames, and in the opened closet Marco saw three cases, two with serpents and one with a tarantula inside.

Reiju took the most romantic things and used them to show how dangerous she could become. Intriguing.

“So…” Reiju had recovered a folder from her archive and was now sitting in front of him, on the other side of the desk. “It’s been a long time since you signed for the _SM_ , so I’d like you to confirm if the form you compiled is still accurate.”

Marco recognized the folder, even if he had forgotten about it in the past. All his preferences he was forced to write down even if he didn’t have any. He was just a lost boy back then, with no family nor ambition, and finding a Soulmate could be his only way out from a life of misery.

“Yes, many things changed,” he said, between his teeth.

“Let’s get started, then.”

They spend the next hour with Reiju reading the answers she had on the folder and Marco correcting them. It wasn’t pleasant for Marco. Most of the answers he’d given back then didn’t represent him at all, he’d said that hoping to be accepted easier by his Soulmate.

He was gay, but he’d written down bisexual because he couldn’t risk a woman being repulsed by him. Favorite position in bed? Reverse, so his Soulmate could be the one to choose. When Marco couldn’t have decided which answer would have given him more chances, he’d left it blank.

In the end it was useless, because his Soulmate had yet to be born. But now Marco was grateful of it: it gave him the chance to meet Pops, and also to actually be himself. Who his Soulmate was didn’t matter anymore.

By the end, Marco felt exhausted.

“We’re almost there,” Reiju assured him, sympathetic. “Would you like something to drink?”

“A gin and tonic.”

Before she could agree to it, her phone rang.

“Yes?” she answered. “Okay, we’re ready too. I’ll send him upstairs.” When she hung up, an apologetic smile was on her lips. “Your gin and tonic will be here later, now you have to go.” And she nodded at the lift behind him, the same he’d taken to reach her office.

“Don’t let me down on this,” he joked, standing up. Like the first time, the lift’s doors opened by themselves and Marco didn’t chose the floor because it moved automatically. Three floors, more or less, he counted.

The room he found at the end of his walk was the smallest one, and totally covered by mirrors: the wall, the floor, the ceiling. Marco looked around, only seeing his confused face looking back.

“Please, take off your clothes and place them in the basket. Every single one of them.”

A voice came out of nowhere, and Marco understood they were looking at him behind one of those mirrors. It was impossible to find which one. He spotted instead the basket the voice was referring too, on the other side of the room.

Marco drew nearby it and undressed. He took all the time he needed, folding every piece with care. He placed in the basket first the shoes, then the socks. He piled trousers, jacked and shirt, while placed pants and necktie on the side.

“Please, return to the center of the room.” Marco obeyed, shivered a little. “Lift your arms, open your hands and remain still.”

Flashing came from all the directions and Marco shut his eyes, swearing. He should have seen it coming, since the government should verify he still had no marks on his skin.

“Please, open your hands.”

Marco had closed them in his surprise. He breathed low and managed to calm himself, but still kept his eyes shut so he wouldn’t be blinded.

“You can dress again.”

Marco hurried next to the basket and managed to retrieve his robe fast. He was still fixing his necktie when the mirror in front of him opened, revealing a short white hallway. Once Marco had stepped into it, the mirror closed back. With no one to order him around anymore, the only thing remaining was to proceed.

At the end of the hallway there was a door. Marco pushed the handle and the door opened, so he entered: the next room looked like the hallway, only in a square form. But Marco’s attention was caught more by the other person waiting in the room.

As he’d imagined, his Soulmate was young. And, much to Thatch’s displeasure, he was a boy. Marco chuckled a little seeing how differently they’d dressed, since the boy had on only jeans with orange Converse and a leather jacket more suited for a motorcycle meeting than a formal one.

The sound made the boy, who until that moment was facing away from giving his back to Marco, turn around with a surprised face. Marco noticed the boy’s cheeks were sprayed by freckles, which made his face nicer than his hard expression.

“So… I suppose you should be my Soulmate,” Marco said. “I’m Marco Newgate, nice to meet you.” And he lent a hand to him.

He didn’t shake it, but kept looking at him, suspicious.

“Newgate…” he said at last. “As in Edward Newgate of the Whitebeard Corporation?”

Marco nodded. “Edward Newgate is my father and I’m the General Manager of the Corporation.” Then he added, “We’re pretty rich, yes.”

The boy smirked. “Do you like to answer things nobody asked you, or do you just like showing off?”

“My apologies,” Marco said. He didn’t mean to be arrogant. “I guessed that’s what you’d like to know, since the Soulmate System guarantees for the less wealthy partner access to the other’s property, but maybe I was wrong.”

“Well, for someone that could be the happy ending, so…” The boy shrugged. “Whatever.”

“Indeed.”

Marco liked this boy. At least, his instinct said so. Or at least he hoped it was his instinct and not his dick, because his soulmate was hot. He could notice the muscle below the orange t-shirt he wore. But even if his mind remained for a few seconds imagining the mirror rooms again, where both of them had stayed naked, Marco couldn’t forget how young his Soulmate was. And still, he was stuck with him.

Marco felt sorry about it.

“So… What happens now?” The boy asked. “They’re keeping us locked in here?”

“Only until they’re sure we’re Soulmates,” Marco specified.

“Don’t they already know that?”

“The system told them so, but you should know Soulmates get the corresponding name marked on their skin only when they meet,” Marco explained. “But I don’t think they’ll have to wait long.”

And, with a slight smile, he pointed to the boy’s left hand. Even if he was far enough Marco couldn’t read it clearly, he was sure that mark wasn’t there before. The boy lifted the hand as if something had bitten it.

“You said your name’s Marco…?” And then, he didn’t wait for an answer. “Shit.”

Marco smiled apologetic, but before he had any chance to say something, the voice from outside ordered, “Please, come back.”

With a last look at the boy, Marco turned his back and headed towards the hallway he’d come from. He found the mirror door opened and then he had to repeat again the whole procedure about the photo.

He didn’t check his skin looking for the tattoo. Since Reiju only smiled at him, when he climbed down to her office, Marco knew he had the mark somewhere. At least she respected the promise about the gin and tonic, so Marco sat down and drank the glass on the desk.

“How did it go?” Reiju asked.

Marco shrugged. “I can’t say, he didn’t even tell me his name.”

“Name’s Portgas D. Ace.” Reiju filled in the blank casually. “And don’t worry, you’ll have some time to get to know him better.” She placed a heavy folder in front of him.

Marco blinked at it, then he opened it, perplexed. It was a long list with a lot of different objects, it looked almost like a supermarket discount pamphlet.

“Care to explain?” Marco asked.

“The _SDM_ is divided in two parts,” Reiju began. “The first one is for us to check the system was correct. The second one is for you to get to know your Soulmate better before returning to the real world.” She pointed at the folder. “We want you to be as comfortable as possible, so it’s up to you to choose the furniture of the room.” And she lent him a paper where he could fill the number corresponding the object he chose.

“People really choose things like that for the first date?” Marco commented, as he browsed the pages of beds and sexual toys.

Reiju scoffed. “Some people fist fuck, then talk.”

“I’m going to be traditional. A table with two chair and something to drink will be fine.”

Marco wrote down some numbers in the paper and returned it to Reiju. No matter how much she talked about the greater good, having them speak in a government palace was just another way to check on them. And Marco wouldn’t give them any chance to discover what was truly in his mind.

“Thank you. Just a few minutes for preparation.”

Reiju didn’t come back, but the lift’s door opened, so Marco assumed he had to get in. This time, it was two floors up. And no hallway or mirror rooms, even if the walls were still white. Marco remembered he could have chosen even paint colours and other furniture, but he hadn’t care.

At the center of the room there was a table. Marco blinked, because it was full of trays of hot food: Marco recognized hamburgers, Chinese and Indian foods, some cakes. It was so much for the table that some plates were piled on one another.

“I didn’t order so much,” he said loudly.

“I did.” The boy –Ace – had just entered in the room. He didn’t lose time, but he sat down and grabbed the first box. Opening it, the smell of fried chicken filled the room. “They said it’s all on them, so at least I took the chance.” He stuffed his mouth with as much chicken as he could.

“I don’t think we can eat this much,” Marco commented, as he sat down in front of him.

“Who says it’s for you?”

Marco watched in awe as Ace threw away the first box, grabbed a hamburger and finished it in three bites. Ace didn’t eat, he sucked everything in without even chewing. Marco found himself unable to look away.

At some point, when Ace was eating Soba, he fainted; his head fell in the plate in front of him. Marco jumped, looking around for help. He had some medical knowledge, but he hadn’t seen anyone faint like that. Since nobody was coming, Marco turned to check on Ace and he found that he was breathing regularly, almost as if he was… sleeping.

Perplexed, Marco waited a couple of minutes, until Ace woke up by himself.

“Sorry,” he said, as he grabbed the first napkin he found to clean his face. “I’m narcoleptic.”

Then he resumed his eating as if nothing had happened. Once he finished all the food, much to Marco’s shock, he burped and stretched. He looked so relaxed, despite the situation.

“How long do you think they’ll keep us here?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Marco answered. “Since they’re checking to see if we’re a safe Soulmate Pairing, I suppose until they have an answer.”

“Okay.”

Ace pushed the empty boxes and plates to both sides of the table, until he made enough space in front of him; then he placed his head on his crossed arms. In a few minutes, he snored. Marco couldn’t help but smile.

Ace did make clear he wasn’t interested in the _Soulmate Meeting_. Of course, Marco agreed with him and he felt lucky his Soulmate wasn’t someone who believed in a happy ending at any cost, but at the same time Marco would have preferred not giving that impression to the Government.

He knew they would look carefully at him because he was one of Newgate’s sons, no reason to show them he was okay to live outside the system. Still, he couldn’t wake up Ace: Marco felt sorry he was stuck with him, so at least he would give him some time.

Almost an hour passed, before a girl came to pick them up. It wasn’t Reiju, or someone Ace had already met, Marco could tell by his perplexed look as he woke up. She didn’t use any of the lifts they’d came from before, but one hidden in one of the walls.

“Please, follow me.”

They took her lift and returned to the ground floor. Marco recognized it as the main entrance of the building. The girl lent them to the welcoming desk. There were other people there, who looked at them and smiled. Marco ignored them and focused his attention on the girl. Ace, at his side, looked tenser than before.

The girl made them sign some papers that certified they’d participated in the _Soulmate Destiny Meeting_ and it was confirmed they’re Soulmates. Then she consigned them the Soulmate Card. Marco looked at his: his photo and his soulmate number were there, along with Ace’s name and number.

It was no different from a certificate of possession.

“Congratulations on your meeting,” the girl ended, with a big smile. “You’ll be happy ever after.”

By the look Ace gave him, Marco was sure he found her nuts. Or at least a hypocrite.

They left the building from the main entrance. It wasn’t just a procedure of the _Soulmate Destiny Meeting_ , it was a metaphor of life. Now they had a Soulmate, they’re rightfully members of the society and they could use the main entrance. Previously, they were poor unfortunate souls, with no right to stand where the normal people stayed; only secondary entrances for them.

“Well, it was fun,” Ace commented in a sarcastic way, with a shrug.

“You got a free meal,” Marco reminded him.

“That’s true,” Ace nodded. “See you,” he added, just for courtesy, while his entire body was aiming in the opposite direction.

“How did you get here? Do you have a car?” Marco stopped him.

“With the Metro, but-”

“Let me give you a lift.”

Ace created some space between the two of them and put his arms in front of him, to protect himself. “No, thank you,” he said firmly.

This time, Marco wouldn’t go along with him, as much as it displeased him. In a second, he grabbed one of Ace’s arms.

“I’ll give you a lift,” he repeated, the tone indicated he wouldn’t accept no as an answer.

But Ace wasn’t ready to surrender yet. “Let me go right now.”

Marco didn’t answer, or obey. He tightened the grip on Ace’s arm and dragged him towards his Porsche, despite how much Ace tried to get loose, pulling himself in the opposite direction or kicking him. When Ace got the point he bit the hand that was keeping him, Marco was relieved they’d reached the car.

He pushed the automatic button on his key, then opened the driver’s door and pushed Ace inside. As soon as he was free from Marco’s grip, Ace rushed towards the other door, crawling on the seats. Marco was faster and sat down on the driver’s seat as he closed the doors with his key. When Ace reached his own, it was already locked.

“Put the belt on,” Marco ordered.

Ace, his hands still on the handle of the car door, turned to look at him. There was hatred in his eyes and not even the freckles could turn his face childish anymore. Marco couldn’t stand the sight, so he focused in front of him.

“Put the belt on,” he repeated.

Ace sat down better on his seat, crossing his arms stubbornly, and he didn’t make any move towards the belt. Marco sighed: even if he couldn’t blame Ace’s behavior, he couldn’t afford to tolerate it just now.

“No. Don’t even try,” Ace warned him as he saw Marco approached him, but the space in the car was too small for Ace to move freely and even his kicks couldn’t reach Marco, who was still safe in his seat. “Don’t touch me!” Marco forced Ace’s leather jacket down, then used the sleeves to tie up his wrists.

Ace struggled for a second, breathing hard. He looked at Marco, who was still above him, his mouth half opened. Then he spat him.

“You jerk,” he growled. “You won’t get away with this, I swear.”

Marco sighed in his mind, but forced himself to keep his face like stone. “I won’t?” he said, cold. He grabbed Ace’s face, his fingers sinking into Ace’s cheeks. “You’re my Soulmate, you should know what it means.”

He waited for Ace to say something, but the only thing Marco got was a look of hatred.

“The government can’t force two Soulmates together… unless at least one of them wants it,” Marco explained. “I can bring you to my house and shut you in my closet and nobody will do anything because I’ve the right to do so. It’s not a crime anymore if it’s between two Soulmates,” Marco ended.

He let Ace go and fastened his belt, before turning on his seat. He put his belt on too and turned on the car, while he didn’t look at Ace at all. He couldn’t stand his glare anymore.

“I could kill you,” Ace affirmed, after the Porsche left the parking lot and turned into traffic.

“Unfortunately for you, that is the only illegal action a Soulmate can commit,” Marco answered, a little amused. “I can hit, kidnap or rape my soulmate, but kill him? How cruel!”

“You’re a jerk,” Ace commented, but he didn’t add anything else.

Marco used his sleeve to clean his face from the saliva, then fixed his rear-view mirror. He would have preferred leaving the parking lot faster, instead they’d given some time for the Cp0 to organize and follow them. Still, Marco had expected it.

Ace turned his head a little: two gray vans were behind them. “They’re following us?” There wasn’t hope in his voice, it was a genuine question.

“Not for long,” Marco assured him.

He positioned the car in the left lane, then, when the traffic light turned yellow, he moved faster to the right one. When it was green, he was able to turn right, while the Cp0’s vans where stuck in the other lane. Marco took another corner, and then another one, just to be sure they couldn’t understand the street he reached. He only hoped they hadn’t the time to plant a bug in the car.

“So, where do you live?” he asked Ace. “I’m still giving you a lift.”

“Fuck you,” was Ace’s answer.

Marco sighed. “You know I can just call a _Soulmate Agency Office_ and they’ll give me any information I need about you?”

Ace shrugged. “Then do it.”

“I was hoping for you to be rational,” Marco sighed again, as he reached his cellphone and connected it to the Bluetooth of the car.

“Rational?” Ace busted out. “You kidnapped me, you tied me up in your car and threated to lock me up in your closet and I’m being irrational? You son of a-”

“And I’ll gag you too if you don’t shut up,” Marco cut in, as Siri’s voice came up from the cellphone asking what it can do for them.

“Oh, well, it can’t get any worse,” Ace commented, bitter.

“Siri, please searched the Assistance Number of the _Soulmate Agency_ and dial it for me,” Marco said. Siri did as it was ordered and in few seconds the phone rang, then the voice of a girl answered.

“ _Soulmate Assistance Office_ , how can I help you?”

“My Soulmate forgot to tell me his address and I’d like to surprise him,” Marco lied, with a meaningful glare at Ace, who just shrugged.

“Sure. Please tell me your _Soulmate Number_ and then his.”

Marco took advantage of the red traffic light and grabbed the Soulmate Card to read it.

“Thank you. The address is Mount Corbo Street, number 3, in the Goa district. Do you need anything else?”

“No, thank you.” Marco closed the call and then shot a look at Ace, who turned immediately to face the window. “Siri, please, search the directions to Mount Corbo Street 3.”

When they reached the address, Marco stopped the car a little before the right civic number and parked the car in the first spot available. Ace was still looking at the windows, but Marco spoke anyway.

“Now listen carefully,” he began. “I’m not interested in having a relationship with you only because you’re my Soulmate, nor am I interested in kids.”

“I’m not a kid!” Ace protested.

“So that’s your problem now?” Marco smirked, making Ace blush a little. He returned immediately to face the window. “You’re still twenty years younger. But that’s not the problem,” Marco continued. “Even if I’m not interested, I don’t want give the Cp0 any reason to spit on my family or my Corporation.”

Since Ace wasn’t commenting, Marco continued, “So we’re faking it. We’ll see each other, let’s see, two or three time a week, just to make them believe everything is fine. When I can be sure they won’t bother me anymore, we’ll be done.”

Ace was still silent.

“I think that’s the best solution for you too, since it’s obvious you don’t care about the soulmate thing either,” Marco added. “Of course, if there’s some place you’d like to go… And I can give you money if you-”

“I don’t need your money,” Ace spat, still not looking at him.

“Fine,” Marco agreed. “Are you okay with this?”

This time, Ace looked at him. No hatred was there anymore, but it was sure the glare of someone that despised the person he was talking to. “Like I have a choice,” he commented. “Can I go now?”

Marco nodded at him to turn his back, so he could untie the jacket. As soon as Ace’s hands were free, he unfasted the belt, fixed his jacket, and reached for the car door.

“Give me your phone number,” Marco said. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Go ask the Soulmate Office,” Ace replied.

“I was hoping you’d make things easier,” Marco smiled, but still opened the door.

Ace rushed out of the car. “Fuck you,” he yelled, slamming the door, then he ran away towards his house.

Marco waited for him to enter there before leaving.

***

As soon as Ace closed the flat door behind him, he was attacked by two very worried boys. Luffy hugged him, grabbing his collar, and looked at him as a puppy looked at his owner. Sabo kept a distance, but his face was focused, his lips turned inward, as if he was forcing back all the questions he had.

“You won’t leave us, will you?” Luffy asked, not letting Ace go even when he tried to take off his jacket.

“No. Of course not,” Ace answered. “Why the hell should I?”

“Sabo said Soulmates go and live together often.”

Ace turned to glare at Sabo, who shrugged. “It’s true. It happens, even when one of the two doesn’t agree.”

“I’m not going anywhere soon, so stay quiet,” Ace informed them, managing to finally free himself from Luffy’s grip. “My Soulmate is a jerk though.”

Sabo’s face, which had lightened up after the first sentence, became stone again. But before he managed to say something, Luffy chirped in. “Should I beat him up?”

“No, thanks, Luffy, I can do it by myself.” Ace smiled and pet his head: maybe Luffy could be a little straightforward, but at least he managed to relax Ace, because Luffy showed how much he cared about them.

As Ace let himself sink in the sofa, Luffy was already at his side and Sabo joined them soon enough with two cans of beer and a juice for Luffy, who took it and drank with not much pause. While Luffy seemed more relaxed now that he knew Ace wouldn’t leave, Sabo was still very serious, something that didn’t suit him at all. And Ace didn’t miss the look Sabo had given his left hand, where the tattoo was visible.

“Tell us about your Soulmate.”

Ace sighed. Sabo wouldn’t have cared normally, but the argument of Soulmates was something he was adamant about, and giving that he was Ace’s brother, well, he couldn’t be blamed if he was worried. So even if Ace would have preferred to avoid the topic, he had no choice.

“He’s a man, older than me… I didn’t bother asking for his age, but I suppose he’s almost middle-aged…” Ace’s voice trailed off as he remembered Marco was a well-known business man, so he didn’t need to describe him as a stranger. “He’s Marco Newgate.”

Sabo gasped. “Newgate, as in the General Manager of the Whitebeard Corporation?”

Ace nodded. Luffy shifted his gaze between the two of them, confused. “Is he famous?” he asked.

This time, Sabo didn’t let him interrupt the conversation. “How can he be a jerk about Soulmates when the President of the Newgate Corporation is strictly opposing of the Soulmate System?”

Ace shrugged. “Marco is anti-soulmate too. That doesn’t make up for him being a jerk.”

“What did he do?” Sabo asked then.

“He wants to fake a relationship with me so the Government won’t bother him. Fake dates and things like that.”

“Oh.” For the first time Sabo’s face appeared relaxed, so he lowered his gaze and rubbed his hands, unable to hold Ace’s gaze.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Ace said. “That is a good idea.”

Sabo licked his lips, then looked at him. “Yes, I do,” he nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s still so unfair forcing people into a situation like that, but… It could be worse. I’ve seen worse.”

He didn’t specify, but Ace was well aware of what had happened with Sabo’s parents and why Sabo was so adamant in his hatred for Soulmates.

“I’ve thought the same,” Ace admitted. “It’s a pain in the ass, but at least it’s just a play. And I won’t have the Government at my throat either.” In some way, Ace was surprised his parents’ legacy hadn’t played a role in his _Soulmate Destiny Meeting_.

“Sure, it would have been better if your Soulmate would just let it go,” Sabo added. “But it’s better than finding someone who truly believes in this bullshit.”

Ace shivered as Marco’s words about what a Soulmate could do echoed in his mind. If Marco had believed in Soulmates… maybe Ace wouldn’t have been there now. Maybe he would have already been locked up in some room in Marco’s who-knows-how giant house. Ace’s imagination created some scenarios about escaping prison or killing Marco without being arrested.

After all, faking dates didn’t seem so bad. If only Marco hadn’t gotten on his nerves…

“Pity he’s still a jerk.”

***

Since he’d parked the car without anyone bothering him, Marco almost believed nobody would ask him about the _Soulmate Destiny Meeting_. Almost, because he knew his family too well. So he relaxed when he opened the door that connected the parking lot to the house and found everyone there, waiting for him.

Still, he hid his smile and pretended to be annoyed by it. “What is it?”

“Oh, com’on!” Haruta pleaded. “You don’t really think you can get away with it.”

“Right,” Izou nodded. “You have to tell us everything.”

“Starting with if your Soulmate is a beautiful woman,” Thatch added.

Marco passed his gaze over all his brother’s impatient faces, then sighed. “You too, Pops?”

“Of course,” Edward said, indignant. “I’m the first one who needs to know if I’m gonna have a new son-in-law or not.” Marco at least appreciated the fact that they tried to be as collected as possible about the entire situation.

“I’m tired, so for now I’m telling you only one thing.” He ignored the groan erupting from the crowd. “I think… My soulmate and I will get along just fine.”

***

“Did you see yesterday’s episode of Soulmasterchef?” Moda asked.

They were at the University’s gate, waiting for Doma to join them, since he was speaking with the professor. Moda was trying to distract him, but Ace’s attention was focused on the gloves he wore. He hated them, but they served to hide the tattoo of his Soulmate.

“Oh… Yes, I saw it,” he answered, blinking. “So happy Wanze was eliminated, he was so annoying.”

“So true!” Moda exclaimed, smiling. “He was… slimy. Even when he talked with his Soulmate he sounded more creepy than romantic.”

“And he was a bad cook.”

“Do you watch these things for real?” Squardo chuckled. Moda blushed a little.

“Why not?” Ace replied. “I like food.”

“Yeah, but… isn’t a romantic thing like ‘I will cook my best because my Soulmate is here’?” Squardo replied, a little more hesitant.

“It is,” Ace admitted. “It would be better without it, but at least there’s food. Not like other things like ‘Soulmate in Love’ or other soap operas…”

“Yeah,” White Bay agreed. “All the television programs have Soulmates in there, of course, but some are nice. I’m a fan of Soulmate Express.”

“Ah, my brother loves it!”

“Here you are!” Doma yelled as he ran in their direction. He panted to regain his breath, “Sorry I’m late guys, but the professor wouldn’t let me go… Woah!” He looked in front of him, forgetting everything he was saying. The others followed his gaze to see what interrupted his monologue.

“Is that a Lamborghini?” Squardo asked.

“It is,” Doma confirmed, his gaze still fixed on the car parked in front of the university gate.

“It… looks nice,” Moda commented, just because the attention of everyone was on the car, White Bay included since she was a huge car fan.

When the car door opened and the owner appeared, Ace groaned. He’d suspected it, both because it was strange for such an expensive car to be parked in front of the public university, and Ace had been ignoring Marco’s calls since the morning.

“Nice car,” Squardo commented, as Marco reached them. Ace groaned again internally, knowing Squardo had just given Marco a way to start a conversation. There was no reason to justify themselves because they’d watched his car.

Marco looked surprised at first, then smiled.

“Thank you,” he said. Then he nonchalantly tossed his arm around Ace’s shoulders. His hand grabbed Ace’s upper arm a little too tight to be just a romantic gesture. “Would you like to introduce me to your friends?”

Ace restrained himself from kicking him. He’d seen the look on his friends’ faces and making a fuss would be problematic to explain.

“Guys, this is Marco, my… Soulmate…” The last word was painful to say, Ace felt as if someone was extracting his tooth.

“Woah! You already found a Soulmate?” White Bay exclaimed.

“And you didn’t tell us?” Doma added.

Squardo’s gaze lowered to Ace’s gloves. “Let me guess, the tattoo is there. Cracked hands my ass.”

“Guys…” Ace murmured. “It’s just happen so fast…”

He met Moda’s gaze: at least she was a little concerned instead of excited or angry he hadn’t say anything. Ace asked himself why it was such a big deal, and hated Marco even more for putting him in such a situation.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure Ace was just being reserved because of me,” Marco smiled. His hands trailed off and stopped on Ace’s hips, so Marco could draw him nearest him.

 _Too late to fix your damage_ , Ace thought. Still he took the chance. “You see, guys, we’re still organizing thing so…”

“There is something wrong?” Oars joined the group; he had a very dangerous expression and his big eyes were focused on Marco, as soon as he saw the hand on Ace’s hips.

“I don’t think so,” Marco replied gently.

“Everything is fine, thank you, Oars,” Ace confirmed, since Oars’ gaze had moved from Marco to him.

“Well, you can’t park in front of the gate,” Oars said, nodding towards the Lamborghini.

“Oh. My bad,” Marco apologized. “Let’s go, then?” he added, to Ace.

“Sure…” Ace lifted a hand. “Sorry, guys, I forgot I promised Marco to… spend time with him.”

“Soulmates are Soulmates,” White Bay commented. “See you tomorrow in class.”

Only when Ace sat down in the car and closed the door did he let out an exasperated groan. He fastened his belt before commenting, “You could have avoided introducing yourself to my friends in this way.”

“You could have answered my calls,” Marco replied, any trace of courtesy disappeared from his voice. “Your move.”

“How do you find my university?”

“A nice girl told me.”

“A nice girl who works at the Soulmate Agency Office,” Ace corrected him.

“All this fuss could be avoided. Just answer your phone next time.” Marco drove and didn’t spare time to even look at Ace.

“Where are we going?” In the meantime, Ace grabbed his cellphone and registered the unknown number under the name ‘THE JERK’.

“You’ll see,” Marco answered, with a smirk. “Next time you get to decide if you answer the calls.”

“I will!” Ace yelled. “Stop pestering me about it. Gosh, you’re such a child…”

Marco chuckled; giving the number of calls Ace had missed, he could image Marco was really annoyed and now it was payback time. So Ace shut up and decided to follow him without asking anything more. He could complain about it later.

They parked the car in an underground parking lot of a five-star hotel. Ace never heard of it, but Marco was a frequent guest judging by the greetings he received from the front desk and by the fact the director came to personally welcome them. They were received in her office. Without shame, Ace grabbed a fist of candies from the desk and put them in his pocket.

“This is the first time in years you will actually use one of our rooms for yourself and not only for your guests.”

“It is an exceptional situation, as I told you over the phone, Shakky,” Marco said. “I don’t have to tell you I need maximum assistance.”

“Of course,” she answered, smiling. “Plus you know very well I only need to be paid well.”

Marco lent her the credit card: it was an American Express Platinum. “I will pay for today and for a least the next three Tuesday and Thursday from now.”

He looked at Ace, who just scoffed. He didn’t mind.

Shakky grabbed the credit card. “I’ll include everything you could need,” she assured him. “And I’ll give you a key you can keep, so next time you can access from the parking lot.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Marco shook his head. “There’s someone I’d like to be seen by.”

They share a meaningful look, then Shakky smiled and gave back the credit card along with a key card of the room.

“Sure, then. I’ll let my girls talk a little about it.”

“Thank you.” Marco stood up and Ace followed.

He felt like a child. Or a dog, being brought along without any chance of making a decision. Well, to be honest Marco had said before that Ace could decide on some locations of their fake dates, but there was no place Ace wanted to go with him and he didn’t want any occasion to use his money. Marco could pay only if he decided to do so, but Ace wouldn’t ask for anything more.

As they reached the last floor of the hotel, Ace noticed their room was the only one. And of course it was the suite! Why the hell did people used such big rooms in hotels, when the only thing one had to do was sleep? Ace wondered if Marco was just used to being like this since he was rich, or if it was another way of being a jerk towards Ace, since he’d refused his money.

Ignoring Ace, Marco put his suitcase on the desk. He connected his laptop and spread some folders around.

“I have work to do,” he spoke at last, as he sat down. “You can use the other room.”

Only when Marco nodded at it did Ace noticed the other door on the opposite side of the already enormous room. He opened it to find another enormous room. There was no bed in it, since it looked more like a living room, with three sofas, a giant television and a minibar in a corner with alcohol bottles and other thing to eat. There was also a table with a coffeemaker.

Ace closed the door behind him, threw his sack on one of the armchairs and sank onto the sofa. No sounds came from the other side. In some way, he was relieved there was a wall between him and Marco. Still, Ace found it difficult to imagine his life from that moment on.

Would he pass time in a hotel room twice a week, alone, with his Soulmate on the other side doing his own things, so people wouldn’t bother them about refusing to have a relationship? Sabo’s words about being lucky echoed in his mind and Ace agreed with them, since in other circumstances he could be tied up on the bed on the other side of the suite.

And Marco was wise enough to choose the two days Ace was free from his part-time job, so having to spend some time in the suite wouldn’t affect him too much.

Still, Ace felt uneasy.

Trapped in something he couldn’t control.

He didn’t mind being looked down on by people, as long as he had Luffy and Sabo by his side. But Marco wouldn’t let him, neither would he try to have an actual relationship. So Ace was stuck in being free from a relationship he didn’t care about but he had to fake it for someone else’s sake.

He hated it.

But he had no choice in going along with it, since Marco had proved himself to be more than willing to use everything he had to force Ace in his belief. And as much as Ace hated to be so powerless, and even though he would continue to make things difficult hoping Marco would give up on him, he realized he wouldn’t be free soon.

So Ace took as much as he could from the minibar and put it in his sack, in order to eat it with his brothers in the evening. Then he turned on the television: of course there was a lot of pay-tv channels, so Ace chose one of them and watched a movie. He couldn’t study there.

He was half sleeping, the television still turned on, when Marco called him.

“Do you want to shower?”

“No, thank you.”

“Let’s go then.”

Ace didn’t let him repeat himself and grabbed his pack. He noticed Marco had used the bathroom and also the king size bed; Ace guessed, only to prove they’d slept together instead of doing their things separately. They didn’t speak much on the way back, and Marco stopped the car right in front of Ace’s house.

“Well, see you next Tuesday,” Marco said. It wasn’t a question.

Ace didn’t bother to say anything as he closed the car door behind him

***

There was something unnatural in the way his family was speaking at the dinner table. They didn’t tolerate any pause, the silence was filled with anything that came to mind, even if the new argument didn’t match at all with the previous. Despite the fact that the Whitebeard Family was a talkative one, Marco felt they were trying a little too hard.

“Okay.” He interrupted the conversation, and every head at the table turned towards him, confused. “Spill the beans.”

“What?” Curiel commented, faking indifference.

“If you want to ask something, just do it.” Marco didn’t miss how they were talking between themselves, ignoring him on purpose.

A sigh erupted from his brothers, as they looked at each other. Everyone’s gaze then stopped at Edward, who raised an eyebrow.

“Why me?” he protested.

Marco smiled. “Pops…”

“Fine,” Edward grumbled, as he settled down better on his chair. “It’s been two weeks. We think it’s time to meet your Soulmate.”

“No.” Marco’s reaction was immediate.

A choir of protest filled the air. “Why not?” Thatch cried.

Edward lifted his hand and the protests stopped. “It’s been two weeks,” he repeated, his words directed only at Marco. “He’s your Soulmate and you’re trying to have a relationship with him. We’d like to meet him.”

“You’re just curious,” Marco replied.

“That too,” Edward agreed. “But you should know better than everyone your Soulmate is also family.”

Marco passed his gaze over his brothers’ faces. Their expressions were hesitant, but full of expectation. None of them added to Edward’s argument, but a little smile twitched on some of their lips.

He should have expected it.

They didn’t value a Soulmate _per se_ , but since Marco had faked some relationship with Ace, it was only natural they wanted to meet him, to show him what the Whitebeard Family meant for them. And, in some way, maybe they’d like to check if Ace was really what Marco needed.

And Marco couldn’t avoid it, no matter how he pretended he was trying to not make Ace uncomfortable, otherwise his family could start to suspect something. Marco would like to prevent that by any means.

He sighed. “Fine. But on one condition,” he added, before the happy cheers started. “I don’t want you to ask Ace anything.”

The cheers became growls.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Izou protested. “We want to get to know him.”

“But I don’t want Ace to feel like you’re interrogating him,” Marco replied. “I will give you three question, but not more. Think carefully about them.”

“We have a deal,” Edward conceded, despite not being entirely satisfied. “Next Friday evening, is that okay?”

“I’ve already thought up a menu,” Thatch assured them.

Marco, however, didn’t feel relaxed at all. Ace hadn’t become warmer in the past two weeks, he barely tolerated him and forced Marco to do the most insane things to keep him in line. A dinner with his family could be a disaster, since it would be hard to hide the truth from Pops.

As soon as the dinner ended, Marco closed himself in his room and called Ace. Of course he didn’t answer: no matter how Marco had proved to him it would be better answering, Ace kept ignoring his calls, as it was his only way of independence.

Frustrated, Marco left him a message, knowing he couldn’t be sure Ace would read it. Either way, Marco would make sure Ace would attend the dinner with his family.

***

The phone vibrated, warning for the new message.

Ace groaned.

“It’s Marco again?” Sabo asked.

He and Ace were enjoying an evening with junk food and videogames, while Luffy was sleeping at a friends’ home as usual, but Marco’s call ruined the mood.

“Yeah, probably.” Ace shot a look at his phone, his mind arguing if it was best to ignore it, but in the end he took it and press the button. He groaned even more.

“What did he say?”

“He invited me to a dinner with his family next Friday.”

Ace threw the phone away from him, as it was its fault. That invitation wasn’t part of the deal and Ace had no intention on playing boyfriend to a family dinner. And of course Marco didn’t even ask if he was free on Friday night.

“You should go,” Sabo said, gentle.

“To hell,” Ace replied.

“I’m not suggesting you should go along with Marco’s idea,” Sabo specified. “The other way around, you could just take a little revenge.”

“I’m listening.”

“Bring them a cake with laxative in it.”

Ace burst out laughing. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Sabo smirked, his eyes shined. “I mean, usually I’d tell you not to, but Marco will force you to attend this dinner, right? Then…” He shrugged, as he reached for his phone. “Let’s google ‘how to make a laxative cake’.” And he showed all the results he found.

Ace stared at the screen. Sabo was still smirking.

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

***

Marco had waited for Ace the entire Friday, his car parked outside Ace’s house. He couldn’t risk Ace escaping the family dinner, even if that meant losing an entire day of work. So Marco was a little surprise when Ace exited from the door at the right time.

Ace spotted the car and entered whispering a greeting. He fastened his belt and adjusted better a packet on his kneel.

Marco drove away before asking, “What is it?”

“I made a cake.”

Marco blinked. “You made a cake,” he repeated.

“What’s wrong with that? I was taught to be polite when someone invites me at dinner,” Ace grumbled back.

“Sure. Well… It’s nice,” Marco admitted, “Thank you.” He remained silent for a while, then added, “I’m sorry, I tried to avoid this. But if everything proceeds smoothly, it won’t happen again.”

Ace nodded, but he didn’t say anything. Marco wondered if Ace realized the best way to get through with the entire situation the Government had put them through was to behave in the least suspicious way. Marco decided he wouldn’t say anything else: ordering Ace around too much could provoke the opposite reactions.

As Marco opened the gate of the mansion, Ace’s interest sparked, even if he tried to hide it. After all, Marco’s house was huge and so was the parking lot they reached. Not many people were able to look at it without surprise.

“All those cars are yours?” Ace asked, while Marco parked.

“None of them, actually,” Marco answered, as he showed the way to the house. “They’re my brother’s, he’s a huge car fan. We just use them since they’re here.”

Ace chuckled a little. “You sound like it’s not a big deal having so many expensive cars.”

Before Marco had a chance to answer, about how the money they gained was necessary to give them protection against the Government’s influence, his family was there to greet them. Of course they were waiting for them at the very entrance.

The attention of everyone was on Ace, so Marco put himself in front of him, in a protective way.

“Stay put,” he said, a finger lifted in warning. “Give him some space.”

“Marco’s right, guys.” Pops’ smirk was there, showing he had some plan of his own. “You’ll all have time to know Ace at dinner. But first you have to prepare it.”

Edward’s words were effective. Most of them nodded and left, before throwing a last look at Ace. Marco, with a sigh of relief, grabbed the package from Ace’s hands and gave it to Thatch.

“Ace brought a cake for us, take care of it,” he said.

Thatch took it as it was a treasure. “Oh, that was so nice of you!”

He sounded so moved Marco smiled.

“Why don’t you help your brothers, Marco?” Pops said. “Thatch, especially. He cooked all day just for this dinner.”

“But…” Marco protested.

“Don’t worry,” Pops’ hand was already on Ace’s shoulder. “We’ll join you at the dinner table.”

Marco breathed hard. He didn’t want to leave Ace alone with his father. His biggest fear was Ace spilling something about their little deal and if that happened Pops would make sure they broke up even if it cost him the entire company. Which was exactly what Marco wanted to avoid.

On the other hand, Pops would become more and more suspicious if he refused to leave them alone or he protested too much. So he had no other choice.

“Just remembered our deal, Pops,” he warned him.

“Of course,” he smiled.

Marco shot a last glare at Ace, before following Thatch into the kitchen.

He didn’t like it.

***

Ace didn’t like it.

Edward Newgate was intimidating, even if he didn’t do it on purpose. And being alone with him in his own studio made Ace unsettled. It was clear Newgate wanted to speak with him without Marco around and, by Ace’s own surprise, he felt Marco’s presence could help him avoid the worst questions.

“Don’t you have waiters to do things for you?” he asked, remembering Marco was supposed to help for the dinner.

“We don’t,” Newgate answered, sitting down at his desk. “Only me and my children live here and we can take care of ourselves.”

“I see,” Ace commented, surprised since Marco had looked a little spoiled.

He looked around: the office’s walls were covered by picture. Ace figured they’re all about his children, because he spotted some with Marco. He counted in total fifteen different people and, when he laid his gaze on the desk, his guess was confirmed by a photo of all the fifteen people and Newgate together.

“They’re my children,” Newgate said.

“I figured,” Ace commented. He was still standing at the center of the room, but Newgate didn’t press him. He pointed at the photo and introduced him to all his children, and Ace tried to remember all of them.

“Portgas D. Ace, right?” Newgate said, after a minute of silence. “I knew a woman with the same family name. Portgas D. Rouge.”

Ace froze. He hadn’t heard his mother’s name in years and that was the first time he met someone who had known her. Rouge had come from a small town far from Red Line City and her death had happened almost twenty years ago. It felt natural for Ace that nobody knew about her.

Now Ace was scared about what Newgate could know about Rouge, and about him.

“She was a friend of mine’s girlfriend.” Newgate laughed. “Oh, well, I’m not sure I can call Roger a friend, but still… I’m sorry about what happened to him. To both of them.”

Newgate’s piercing gaze passed through Ace. He felt as if he was reading his mind, but he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t admit to being Rouge’s son, even if Newgate hadn’t pointed out Rouge and Roger weren’t Soulmates. Maybe he didn’t know, still Ace wouldn’t admit any connection with both of them.

“Marco is a good guy, isn’t he?” Edward looked at one of the photos hanging at the wall, and Ace couldn’t help but follow him. The picture was of a teenager Marco playing with a white dog. “He isn’t my first child, nor the eldest here, but definitely he’s the most affectionate of this family. And that worries me.”

“Why?” Ace asked without realizing it.

“Because it means he will do everything to protect this family.” Edward shot a meaningful look at Ace, but he didn’t press further. “I understand him because I’ll do the same, but… I’m the father. Protecting this family is my duty, not my children’s.”

Ace remained silent. He wasn’t so sure if Newgate expected him to say something, so he didn’t, even if protecting your family was something he could understand. After all, he would do the same for Luffy and Sabo.

“But sorry, you’re not here to hear me blabbering about it.” Newgate smiled and waved his hand. “I’d just like to assure you.”

“Assure… me?” Ace said, uneasy.

Newgate nodded. “People know me as a Soulmate-Hater, but I’m not like that,” he explained. “I only hate what the government makes Soulmates into. But if two Soulmates are happy together… who am I to hate it?”

Ace knew Marco hadn’t told his family anything about their little deal, even if, from the way Newgate’d spoke, there were some suspicions about Marco’s behavior. Now Ace understood why; he could tell Newgate everything and, he was sure of it, he wouldn’t see Marco again. Newgate wouldn’t allow it once he found out there was no relationship between Marco and Ace.

Instead, Ace nodded and said, “Thank you.”

Newgate smiled; he was less intimidating when he did it. “Well, that’s all. Sorry for bothering you with my worries,” he commented, standing up. “Now let’s go, I’m pretty sure Thatch is thrilled to have you eat his dishes.”

Ace followed him out of the office and into the long hallway, until they reached the dining hall. Most of the others were already at the table, except for Marco who waited for them at the door’s step. He shot a suspicious look at Ace, who just shrugged.

Thatch’s face appeared from the other side of the room. “Sit down, I’m coming,” he said, his face lighting up when he saw them.

“I’m hungry,” Edward commented and he took place at the head of the table.

“Please.”

Marco brushed against Ace’s back, guiding him to the chair next to him. On Ace’s other side, there was the empty chair Thatch occupied soon after.

“I wasn’t sure what you like because Marco was very secretive about it,” he explained to Ace. “So I made a lot of thing as appetizers, I hope you like it.”

“You shouldn’t have…” Ace murmured, as soon as he realized the table was covered by no less than thirty different trays. He didn’t recognize the food in them, but the smell was magnificent. Ace’s mouth filled with drool.

“Well, enjoy your meal!” yelled Speed Jiru, before reaching for the nearest tray.

Soon after, everyone was more invested in grabbing as much food as they could before the others. Ace found himself in the same game, because he was hungry and at least something good could come from the entire situation, so he wasn’t going to let everyone eat his part of the meal.

And it was good, he had to admit. Some of them were _nouvelle cousin_ , things one could find in five-star restaurants. Ace had no idea of the ingredients, but they tasted good and he didn’t have any allergies so he couldn’t care less about what was in them.

With one hand he grabbed things from the trays and with the other he stuffed his mouth with what was on the dish in front of him. He wasn’t ashamed, since everyone was doing the same, but soon enough his narcolepsy took him and his head fell down.

He woke up five minutes later; and to his surprise, no one was shocked or afraid of what happened to him. Ace guessed Marco had informed them about it. He wasn’t happy, since in some way scaring people was the best thing that came from his narcolepsy.

Now that the fury of eating turned down, the conversation had started. Ace missed the beginning, so he didn’t get all of the story Haruta was telling, but she talked about professors and university, which surprised him since all of Marco’s brothers looked old, around his age or older. Well, maybe Haruta was the youngest one, but she still looked too old to be in university.

“So you’re a university student?” he asked.

Haruta blinked and looked at him. Since it was the first time Ace spoke, he got everyone’s attention. He regretted his question immediately.

“Can’t I be?” Haruta replied, with a smile.

“No, no… I was just wondering…”

“That I’m too old.”

Since Haruta wasn’t offended, Ace nodded. “Yes. But, I don’t know, maybe you took a lot of degrees.”

Haruta laughed. “Absolutely not! I’m not that smart.”

“Yeah, we know,” Namur chuckled. As a result he got a handkerchief in the face.

“You’re mean,” Haruta commented, amused. The she turned towards Ace again. “The story is less funny though,” she said, with a sigh. “My parents died when I was a child, but I had the _luck_ ,” she pressed on the word, and some of their brothers snorted, “to find my Soulmate, so I didn’t end up in an orphanage. He was an old relative of my parents with a… particular love for children.”

Ace didn’t get how the story fit with the university thing, so he kept listening.

“He refused to let me go to school, or outside in general, because he was afraid I would tell someone about the fact he abused me.” Haruta shrugged. “It was just in his head, since pedophilia doesn’t apply to Soulmates.”

Ace’s eyes widened. He knew the Soulmate System sucked, but letting an adult abused a child only because they’re Soulmates… “I’m sorry!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t mean… You don’t have to tell me, really.”

“You’re nice,” Haruta smiled. “But it’s an old story and it didn’t matter anymore. Pops found me and now everything is wonderful. Well, almost everything,” she added, smirking in Namur’s direction.

“Hey!” he protested, and Haruta stuck her tongue out.

“You killed her Soulmate?” Ace asked Pops, since he didn’t see other chance for her to get free.

“No!” Newgate was outraged, then he smirked. “Well, I could have, but no. I only gave him a good reason to let her go.”

Ace understood he wouldn’t add anything else. He didn’t care.

“I’m sorry,” he said again to Haruta, who just waved her hand. “I believed you all don’t have Soulmates.”

“Oh, no, that’s all wrong,” Rakujo commented. “Many of us had already found one. Actually, Marco was the last one, I think?”

“Wrong!” Thatch exclaimed. “I’m the last one now.” He shrugged. “I’m a gift to all humanity.”

“Yeah, sure,” Marco smirked.

“It’s the press’s fault,” Atomos added. “Since Pops had spoken in the past about how wrong the Soulmate System is, they like to portray us as poor, sad Soulless people, when really we only had a lot of bad experiences.”

“For example, my Soulmate didn’t accept I’m Trans,” Izou said. “She was a girl and she wanted me as a male. I couldn’t be.”

“The contrary happened to me,” Vista added. “Mine was a straight male who pretended I operated myself to become a girl. We were totally incompatible, but he couldn’t accept it because, you know, Soulmate.”

Thatch patted Ace’s back. “You and Marco are the first Soulmate Matching that worked.”

Ace shot a glare in Marco’s direction; funny enough, he’d chosen that moment to drink, as he didn’t want to comment. Ace knew too well the reason.

“I’m really sorry,” Ace said. “I didn’t mean for you to tell me all these stories about your pasts…”

Izou shrugged. “It isn’t important. As Haruta said, it’s the past. Plus, Marco prohibited us from asking you anything,” he added. “So it’s only natural we have to talk about ourselves.”

“I didn’t prohibit you anything,” Marco protested. “I only stopped you from starting an interrogation.”

“Son, you said we can only ask three questions, and then you almost considered Thatch asking if Ace likes wine as one.” Newgate chuckled.

“That’s… not true. I was joking.”

Ace looked at Marco. He had never seen him so frustrated. And he was… pouting?

“Well, I authorize you to ask anything you’d like,” Ace said. He was amused by Marco’s reaction. “That doesn’t mean I will answer.”

Well, it didn’t stop them from asking everything they’d like. Lucky for Ace, Thatch decided the first course was ready and after that the entire dinner turned easy, even for Ace who was able to maintain a conversation with everyone.

He found out Fossa was the huge car fan and all those cars were his, Izou was a painter, Namur worked at the city aquarium and Thatch was the family cook because he liked it. Basically they worked together in the family company, where they mostly hired Soulless people. In that way, even the company looked like a family.

Marco, on the contrary, stayed silent for the entire meal. Ace was okay with it, because he found his family better than him.

“So, who has still some space for the dessert?” Thatch said, as he collected the last dishes from the table. All the hands lifted in the air. “Wonderful, because Ace brought us a cake and it would be awful not to taste it.”

The laxative cake! Ace had forgotten about it. He jumped up. “I’ll help you.”

“No, no, you’re a guest,” Thatch smiled.

“I insist.” Ace pressed and pushed Thatch towards the kitchen. “It’s my cake after all.”

“Okay, then. I’m a cook after all, I understand the pride.” Thatch smiled.

The cake looked better than Ace had thought the first time he’d gone through Sabo’s plan. They burned the first three, before deciding to make a cheesecake that didn’t need to be cooked. They chose strawberry, even if the result was a pink cake. So Sabo decided to put a sugar doll bought in a pastry shop on the top, and around it Ace had placed chocolate biscuits.

It was nice. Even Thatch was pleased.

“Oh, it looked tasty!” he exclaimed as he freed the cake from Ace’s package and put it on a tray.

Ace took the dishes and the spoons and followed Thatch back to the dining all. Thatch was in front of him, so it was easy to just stretch one of his legs and let Thatch trip. Thatch fell on the ground, his face splashed in the cake, smashing it. The others laughed as Thatch stood up with his face and hands covered in pink cream.

“Thatch, are you okay?” Ace asked, feeling guilty.

“I’m… I’m so sorry, Ace… It was your cake… The cake you made for us…”

“Its okay, Thatch. Don’t worry.”

Marco stared at him, so Ace hurried to get back in the kitchen and grab some towels to help Thatch clean the floor.

***

Marco drove to Ace’s house. It was late and, for a moment, their brothers had considered the idea to let Ace sleep at the Mansion, but Marco had declined. Even if the evening had gone more smoothly than he’d thought, his aim was to keep his family apart from Ace as much as possible, despite how well Ace got along during dinner.

He shot a glare at Ace: he sat quietly in the passenger’s seat, hands in his lap, head turned a little towards the window.

“Why did you make your cake fall?”

Ace blinked, startled by the question. He looked at Marco, then answered, “It was an accident.”

“It wasn’t,” Marco replied. “What did you put in that cake?”

Thatch had felt sorry about the accident, because he was the one who’d tripped, but Ace had no reason to do it only to upset Thatch. So there was another reason. And Ace himself wasn’t surprise by the question, just unsure if he should answer it.

“Laxative,” he admitted, at last.

Marco burst out laughing.

“Aren’t you angry?” Ace’s expression was priceless: a mixture of surprise and pleasure, almost as if he considered Marco insane.

“I wouldn’t have been happy to spend the rest of the evening on the toilet,” Marco commented. “But it didn’t happen. Besides, I deserved it, didn’t I?”

“Absolutely.”

Marco laughed again and appreciated seeing a smile on Ace’s face.

“Still, you haven’t answer my question yet,” he continued. “Why did you let the cake fall?”

Again, Ace was unsure if he should answer. He sighed. “You’re the jerk, not your family. I’m not… It didn’t feel right anymore.”

Marco’s lips bent in the corner. “I see. Thank you.”

Ace stared at him. “Can I ask you something now?”

“Sure. Go on.”

“Your father… I mean, Mister Newgate… is against the Soulmate System. And most of your brothers are people who rejected their Soulmate,” Ace explained. “Nothing made me think they won’t accept you not having a relationship with your Soulmate. Yet you lied to them about us and forced me in this.”

It wasn’t a question, Ace just recapped their situation. He didn’t have sight of the entire situation though. Marco sighed, his hand tightening on the wheel. Well, Ace deserved at least the truth.

“We live in a world where having a Soulmate is everything,” Marco began. “Not having one is pitiful, rejecting one is shameful. And the Government promotes this idea, shutting down any oppositions that say otherwise.”

“I know,” Ace commented.

“So Pops decided the only way was to become so powerful and rich that people would be forced to accept him even if they pity him,” Marco continued. “The Whitebeard Corporation is now something one can’t ignore. And that is something the Government doesn’t like.”

“Okay,” Ace interrupted, frustrated. “But why are you different from your brothers?”

“I’m getting there, don’t worry.” Marco smiled. “All my brothers’ stories happened years ago, when the Whitebeard Corporation wasn’t so strong. Pops was seen as a poor Soulless, so people pitied him but he could still make affairs with them. And when the Government noticed we could be dangerous it was too late.”

Ace chuckled a little. “I guessed they weren’t happy.”

“Not at all,” Marco agreed. “They have been trying to stop us for years. Every time we had an important affair, someone lets slip to the other company what we are, to put us in a bad light. It’s one of the reasons why I became the General Manager. I’m… was a Soulless, it wasn’t my fault. People pitied me, but they still did business with me.”

“And now you have a Soulmate,” Ace concluded.

Marco nodded. “Yes. And I’m afraid the Government will take the chance to spit on us even more.”

“Or maybe not,” Ace wondered. “The Whitebeard Corporation is strong. Maybe people will look down at you but still accept you as business partner.”

“Not Companies who have relationships with the Government. They will prefer to stick with them than with us,” Marco corrected him. “And they’re much too important for us. But if they believe I have a Soulmate…”

“I see,” Ace commented. His tone was bitter, so Marco decided to say something more.

“I spent my childhood in an orphanage and when I was eighteen, with no Soulmate, I was basically kicked out by everyone. No one wanted a Soulless,” he explained. “I was a beggar when Pops found me. Pops gave me everything: a family, a purpose, a job.”

Ace looked at him with big eyes. He was about to add something, but Marco kept talking.

“I won’t let anyone destroy what Pops built. Even if it cost me some freedom, even if I have to act like a jerk, even if I have to fake believing in all this soulmate bullshit. My family is everything to me.”

Ace remained silent; he turned his head to the windows again. Marco wondered if he should add something to fill the silence, but he didn’t. Ace could accept his reasons or not, it didn’t matter. He made it clear he was ready to do anything.

“Stop the car,” Ace said suddenly.

“What?”

“Stop this damn car. Now.”

Surprised, Marco pulled over to the side of road. Ace opened the car door, so for a second Marco believed he was running. Instead, Ace turned to him and ordered, “Come on. Hurry.”

Ace grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into a nearby pub. Marco ignored all the people at the table and even the waiters, only focused on Ace’s strange behavior. Ace stopped in the middle of the pub and looked around. When he was satisfied, he moved Marco next to him as he grabbed his phone. To Marco’s surprise, he took a photo of both of them.

“You could have smiled,” Ace commented, checking the results on the screen. “Whatever, I’m sending it to you.”

Ace returned to the car without anything. Marco felt his phone vibrating in the pocket as he followed him, but only when they were again on the road, he asked, “Care to explain?”

Ace gave a patronizing smile. “How can you fool your business partners if you don’t have even a photo of both of us?” Ace’s smile became a grin. “You should put it on your office desk, so people can enter and say ‘oh, look how happy he is with his Soulmate!’ That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

Marco blinked. Ace was… helping him? “I will,” he said. “Thank you.”

Ace shrugged. “Protecting your family… is something I can understand.”

***

When Ace returned home, no one was there. Sabo was on shift duty and Luffy usually slept with friends on weekends. For Ace it was okay, because after that dinner he’d like to sleep a little to recover. It had been an intense night.

He put pajamas on and moved to turn off his phone, when he saw a message from Sabo. He was all excited to know how the entire plan with the cake went. Ace smiled, because Sabo wanted photographic proof – it would be very embarrassing to obtain them. The smile fell as Ace remembered what he’d actually done with the cake.

Ace looked at the screen, unsure about the answer.

“Sorry, it didn’t seem like a good idea anymore,” he answered at last.

It wasn’t a lie after all.

***

Marco entered the dining room, hearing the familiar sound of the Poker Night his brothers held on Thursday nights. What he didn’t expect was to see Ace there, instead of Blenheim.

He knew the dinner with his family had been good, even better than Marco could have expected. Ace behaved well and, for the first time, they were actually able to understand each other, sort of. Since that moment their relationship had been better, even if it was still fake.

He didn’t expect, though, that Ace would make friends with his family. Sure, it could be part of the act, but Marco rarely saw that happy smile on Ace’s face. It was an unexpected situation and Marco wasn’t sure how to react.

So he stood there, perplexed, until they spotted him.

“Oh hi, Marco!” Thatch lifted a hand in the air; he was clearly drunk. “Welcome home!”

“Care to explain why my Soulmate is here?” Marco replied.

“Blenheim got problems at work so we decided to invite Ace,” Izou answered, unimpressed. “The fact he’s your Soulmate doesn’t mean he can’t have friends you know.”

“Plus he is really good at poker!” Rakuyo exclaimed, patting Ace on the arm.

Ace smiled slightly. Marco moved his gaze to him, wondering if he had some inner plan or if he was just enjoying a poker night with some people he liked. After all, his family was nice. But Ace had a really good poker face, so Marco, for once, wasn’t able to read anything.

“I was just surprised, that’s all,” he commented.

“Maybe I should have called you,” Ace admitted, standing up. “I’m leaving now; I’ve got lessons tomorrow morning.”

 Marco looked at him carefully: his eyes were shiny and his movements slow, his legs unsure. He grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Have you been drinking?”

“Marco, don’t be a dad,” Thatch protested. “It isn’t a Poker Night without some drinks.”

Marco didn’t pay him attention, his gaze still fixed on Ace.

“I hold my drinks,” Ace answered. “I’m not a child.”

“I’m giving you a lift,” Marco decided.

“I told you I’m…” Ace didn’t get to end the sentence because he couldn’t help but throw up, the vomit spilling on Marco’s suit and shoes. Ace kept a hand on his mouth and mumbled, “I… I don’t…”

Marco lifted a hand to stop his brothers, who got up concerned about Ace’s health. “What did you let him drink?”

“Well, he was okay so I tried a little of Mirto, but…” Thatch began.

Marco sighed. Mirto was one of the strongest drinks Thatch prepared, and it was hard to hold even for himself, despite the fact that he never got drunk. No surprise Ace wasn’t in the best shape.

Without another word, Marco dragged Ace to the nearest bathroom. Ace didn’t complain too much and, as soon as he spotted the toilet, he kneeled down and threw up again. Marco sat next to him, his hands on Ace’s shoulders. Marco felt Ace shivering, as his body startled uncomfortably as he vomited, so he gentle caressed his head to calm him down.

Marco left his side only when he felt Ace was getting better, and only to take off his shoes and suit, dirty with vomit. He was planning to let his brothers deal with it, since it was all their fault.

 “I’m not like that….” Ace murmured. “Sorry about…”

“Don’t worry.”

Ace sat with the back against the wall, with not much distance from the toilet. He looked exposed. Marco didn’t want to leave his side, but he needed something to make him better.

“Can you stay here for a second? I’ll be back soon.”

Ace nodded slightly.

Marco, with only pants on, went back to the kitchen.

“Is Ace okay?” he heard Thatch ask, concerned.

“Yes, but not thanks to you,” Marco replied, as he grabbed a slice of bread and a bottle of water. “And you’ll clean everything up.”

He came back to the bathroom and sighed, relieved. Ace was in the same spot and he didn’t look as though he threw up again. He sat down again next to him and gave him the slice of bread first. Ace took it and ate it slowly, without protesting. Then he accepted the bottle of water and took a long sip.

“Are you angry?” he asked.

“No. Of course not,” Marco replied immediately. “Thatch shouldn’t have-”

“I’m talking about the poker night.”

This time, Marco took some time to answer. “No,” he said at last. “Our relationship could be fake, but that’s doesn’t mean you can’t be friends with them. They’re idiots, but I like them too.”

“We could have been friends too,” Ace commented.

Marco opened his mouth, unsure. “I… I forced my hand with you, I admit that,” he explained. “But it felt like you were not interested in the Soulmate Matching at all and I couldn’t afford to…”

“Yeah.” Ace took another sip of water and he leaned more against the wall. He didn’t add anything more and Marco didn’t press.

Being friends with his Soulmate wasn’t something he thought of, since all his mind was focused on was protecting his family. Still, he wasn’t so against the idea, but he wondered if Ace was speaking in that way only because he was drunk.

“I feel like shit,” Ace said suddenly.

Marco smiled. “I’m here with you.”

***

Ace didn’t feel something was off at the beginning: he was sleepy, the bed was comfortable and the lights outside weren’t so bright to bother him. Then his head pulsed painfully and Ace groaned, abruptly awakened.  

The light seeping in the room through the thick curtains made him aware he wasn’t at home. In a blink, Ace recalled getting drunk the night before and, even if the memory of him throwing up on Marco’s expensive suit was funny, he groaned even more. He hated showing weakness like that.

Ace curled again in the bed; he probably missed lessons, so at least he could try to recover from the headache. His eyes fell on the bedside: other than his own phone, still turned on and with a lot of missed calls, two photos were there. One was the same family photo Ace had seen in Newgate’s office. The other was a photo of Ace.

“Wait, he took it from my Facebook?” Ace commented, as he reached for it to get a better look.

It was indeed a photo he’d put online some time ago, after he, Sabo and Luffy made a short trip to a nearby town. Ace was there, smiling from something stupid Luffy had said. Beside him was an ancient statue of a naked woman but Ace didn’t remember the artist.

“You’re awake.” Ace startled, and hurried to put back the photo. “How are you feeling?”

“My head is killing me, but I’m okay,” Ace replied, hoping Marco didn’t notice what he was doing. Even if he did, well, Ace wasn’t the creepy one stealing photos from other people’s Facebook.

“Glad to hear that,” Marco smiled. “Thatch feels guilty about your health, so you can have whatever you’d like for breakfast.”

“That’s good!” Ace freed himself form the shelter, only to notice he wore something different from his clothes.

“You spread vomit around,” Marco explained, with an amused smiled. “Your clothes are on the washing machine. You can stay in bed as much as you’d like.”

“Okay,” Ace snorted. He felt exposed. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I don’t really recall what happened yesterday…”

“Not even what you said?”

“What did I say?!”

Ace panicked. He didn’t get drunk often and most of the time he was conscious enough to stop his tongue, so he had no clue about what he could have spilled. He feared he’d done something really stupid.

Marco sat down in the bed next to him, a smirk on his face. “You said we can be friends.”

“Oh…” Ace sighed of relief. It was nothing dangerous. “Well, we could, but you’re a jerk so…”

“Is there something I can do to stop being a jerk?” Marco asked. “Except for the dating thing, because you know I can’t stop, at least for now.”

Ace glared at him. “I’ll let you know,” he smiled. Marco laughed, and Ace couldn’t help but think it was a nice sight. “First of all, you could have been less creepy and not stolen a pic of me from Facebook.”

“You put them online in the first place,” Marco replied, amused. “But okay, if you prefer you could choose one yourself.”

“Do you want my photo so badly?” Ace teased.

“I’m just following your assessment about it being strange to not have any,” Marco explained. “I liked this,” he added, pointing at the one on the bedside. “You look… like your real self.” He paused, his eyes fixed on the photo. “Still, I don’t mind having another one.” And then he smirked in Ace’s direction. “And I don’t mind a naked one too. Yesterday I didn’t have time to get a good look.” His gaze passed over the shirt Ace was wearing. Of course Marco had been the one to undressed Ace to take off the dirty clothes.

“Keep that one,” Ace replied immediately, with a little blush, and Marco laughed again. “You know,” Ace continued, “I’ve never seen your Soulmate Tattoo.”

Marco blinked. “I didn’t think you were interested.”

“I’m not,” Ace shrugged. “But you saw mine, so…”

“Well, my Soulmate Tattoo is in a very hidden place, I can’t show it to everyone.” Marco stood up. “But I saw you naked too, so I guess will be even.” And he messed with the button of his pants.

“Wait! Thinking about it, I’m really not that interested.”

Marco laughed. “I’m joking.”

“You know, you’re turning from jerk into a pervert,” Ace snorted.

“Not a good thing, I guess,” Marco smiled. He sat down again and opened his shirt, showing his right nipple. The Tattoo had been there since the time he’d met Ace.

Ace looked at it. At first, he hated the tattoo on his hand, but now it felt strange seeing his own name on another person’s skin. He lifted his hand and brushed Marco’s skin with the tip of his index finger. He touched his nipple by mistake and a shiver passed thought his arms.

Then Ace’s phone rang. It was Sabo. He was probably worried about the fact Ace hadn’t slept at home. Giving how protective Sabo was about the whole Soulmate thing, Ace had to answer.

With an apologetic smile, Ace reached for the phone. Marco closed his shirt and left the room.


	3. Marco and Sabo

Third try. Fourth try. Fifth try.

At the sixth one, Ace gave up: the scooter had broken. He cursed under his breath, because of course it happened the day he had to pick up Luffy from school. And since he was at the university, he couldn’t do it with the public transportation, because he wouldn’t have made it in time.

He took the phone and called for Sabo; he was at work, but his place was nearest Luffy’s school. He could take a break to check on Luffy and bring him home. But the phone rang without anyone answering.

As much as Ace loved Sabo, he hated his attitude of never answering the phone. Sabo forgot his phone around and usually it was almost impossible to get in contact with him. Ace scanned the address book looking for the number to Sabo’s place or one of his friends, when he spotted Marco’s number.

It was still in his phone as ‘THE JERK’, so Ace hesitated only a second before dialing it. Unlike Sabo, Marco answered within two rings.

“Ace! Did something happen?”

Marco’s voice was concerned. No surprise, since Ace had never contacted him before, even if their relationship was getting better and Ace had found himself actually liking Marco’s family. Somehow, Ace felt they were tied together only by the stupid tattoo they had on their skin, so keeping a distance was a sort of freedom for him.

“No… Nothing worrisome at least,” Ace answered. “My scooter let me down and my little brother is waiting for me at his school so I was wondering…”

“Are you at the university?” Marco interrupted.

“Yes. But I understand if you’re busy…”

“No. I’ll be there soon.”

Ace hung up with mixed feelings inside him. Marco had asked him a lot of favors in the past, faking their relationship being the biggest one, so in returned it was just fair. At the same time, Ace had avoided asking something from Marco to make clear he didn’t appreciate their Soulmate relationship. Still, Ace was okay asking his friends for help, and Marco was one of them, sort of…?

With a sigh, he sat down on the useless scooter and waited. He didn’t know how far Marco’s office was, since he’d never been there. But, to his utter surprise, the first one to arrive wasn’t Marco, but Fossa.

“Marco told me you have a problem with the scooter, so…”

“You shouldn’t have…”

“Nonsense,” Fossa replied. “Let me take a look.”

Ace watched Fossa examined the scooter with his tools. “It’s the drive belt,” he concluded. “It needs to be replaced.” And, without another question, he opened the back door of his truck in order to put the scooter inside.

“Listen, Fossa…” Ace began.

“Oh, sorry,” Fossa exclaimed. “Maybe you already have a mechanic you trust?”

“Not really…”

“Well, it’s okay then,” Fossa concluded, satisfied. “Tomorrow you’ll have your scooter back.”

Ace wanted to ask about the payment, since Fossa acted as if he wouldn’t mind it, but Marco’s car parked in front of them.

“Hey,” Fossa greeted him. “We’re done here; I’ll go back to the workshop with the scooter.”

“Perfect,” Marco answered. “Sorry if I called you so suddenly.”

“Don’t mind it, it was for Ace after all.” And Fossa shot Ace a smile.

“Thank you so much,” Ace said, at last. As usual, he couldn’t help but get along with that family. “You’re saving me here.”

Marco smiled. “No problem. Where’s your brother’s school?”

“Foosha Street.”

They said bye to Fossa, who headed in the opposite direction, and Ace took his place in the passenger seat while Marco selected the road on the navigator. They both stayed silent, mostly because Ace didn’t feel like talking. Marco seemed fine with helping him, as he’d proven before with the drunk event, but Ace was uneasy about how their relationship moved.

They reached Luffy’s school just in time, so Ace rushed from the car to check for him. He heard his laugh soon enough and lifted his hands in the air to lure his attention.

“Ace!”

Luffy greeted him with the usual hugs, then turned around to nod at his friends, who were used to the scene, so Luffy continued hanging around Ace’s neck while he returned to Marco’s car.

“We can go alone from here,” he said, ignoring Luffy’s curious gaze. “There’s a bus from here to our house.”

“Are you sure?” Marco asked, without pressing. “I have time for another run.”

“I’m sure,” Ace answered at the same time Luffy said, “Are you Ace’s Soulmate? Wow, it is true you look like a pineapple!”

“Luffy!” Ace protested. His opinion about Marco’s look was supposed to remain a secret.

Marco chuckled. “I am. Nice to meet you.”

Luffy smiled, one of his big smiles. “This is your car? It’s cool!” And, without asking, he jumped in the back seat. “Will you give us a ride?”

Before answering, Marco looked at Ace, whose face became ashamed, before he shook his head, giving up. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, as he took his place next to Marco.

“It’s okay.” Marco was amused. “So… am I a pineapple?”

“I refuse to talk about it,” Ace replied, crossing his arms and making Marco chuckled.

Luffy jumped from a window to another, enjoying the ride in the traffic. Then stopped and his head appeared between the two seat. “Hey, Ace, why don’t we invite your Soulmate for dinner tonight? We can have pizza!”

“I’m pretty sure Marco’s busy,” Ace replied.

“You can’t answer for him!” Luffy protested. “Is it true you’re not busy and you can stay for dinner?” he asked, to Marco.

 “Only if Ace is okay with that,” Marco answered.

Ace felt he couldn’t say no, giving how enthusiastic Luffy appeared, but he still took some time to decide. He didn’t plan to let Marco in his life, no more than what he already took by himself, but since Ace ended up having a relationship with Marco’s brothers…

“Sure, why not,” he said at last.

“Great!” Luffy spent what remained of the journey blabbering about what kind of pizza they could order, and it stopped only when they arrived, because he ended up being too busy to reach the house door first.

“Are you really okay with it?” Marco asked Ace now that they were alone.

Ace nodded. “Yes. But I can’t assure you there won’t be laxative cake.”

Marco chuckled. “I’ll take the risk.”

So Marco parked the car in front of the house and, when he and Ace climbed the stairs, they found out Luffy had already opened the door of the apartment and decided to act as the house’s owner. He forced Marco to sit down on the old sofa, he brought him a glass of water Marco didn’t ask for and brought a pile of fliers so Marco could choose the restaurant he liked more.

“And here I thought my family was intrusive,” Marco commented, as Luffy was distracted answering some messages on his phone.

Ace laughed while he sat down on the carpet. “Maybe I should have warned you.”

“I wasn’t complaining,” Marco replied, as he took the first flier.

The door opened, so Luffy forgot about his cellphone that ended up on the sofa next to Marco, and rushed to greet the new arrival. “Sabo! We’re eating pizza tonight!”

Ace heard Sabo laugh. “Okay. I’ll order the usual, the one with everything on it.”

“Me too!” Luffy exclaimed.

Sabo closed the door and smiled. “Well, I’m pretty sure Ace will also…” His voice trailed off as his gaze stopped on Marco.

“This is Ace’s Soulmate,” Luffy commented, the big smile still on his face. “He really looks like a pineapple, right?”

Sabo’s face harshened. “Why is he here?”

“The scooter broke so I asked him for a lift to get Luffy from school and Luffy invited him for dinner,” Ace hurried to explain. He stood up and moved next to Marco.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“I did. You didn’t answer.” Ace snorted a little.

Sabo was annoyed. “Well… he shouldn’t be here. Luffy is here, we don’t need him anymore.”

“I invited him for dinner!” Luffy protested, but Sabo didn’t pay him any attention.

He grabbed Ace and pulled him near, before whispering, “Do you really want him in our lives?”

Ace froze. “Luffy was so enthusiastic…”

“Don’t drag Luffy in this shit!”

“I’m really sorry to interrupt you.” Both brothers tuned his head to Marco, who’d stood up and was wearing his jacked again. “I just received a message, I need to go back to work.” He smiled at Luffy. “We’ll have pizza another day.”

“Or never,” Sabo murmured.

If Marco heard, he didn’t show it. He only lifted his hand and said “bye” before leaving the room.

Once the three brothers remained alone, Luffy exploded. “Sabo! Why are you so mean?!”

“I’m not!” Sabo protested, upset. “Listen, Luffy, that man is bad. He’s giving Ace a hard time, so I’m pretty sure you don’t want to force Ace to spend time with him, right?”

Luffy blinked. “Is that true? He looks nice…” And slowly turned his head to Ace, who cursed internally.

He’d never complained about Marco to Luffy, only because he didn’t feel his little brother should be worried about him or about his situation. So Luffy had no idea Marco had forced him in the past to have dates with him. Luffy wasn’t the curious type, so he never asked about Marco either.

Explaining things to him would be easier.

Sabo was a different matter. Given his hatred for the _Soulmate System_ , Ace was comfortable speaking with him about how he felt trapped, even if Marco’s idea of their relationship was better than others. The recent events made the relationship with Marco better than the idea Sabo had from his tales.

“Actually, Marco isn’t so bad,” Ace admitted.

“How can you say something like that?” Sabo was shocked. “He forced you into this fake relationship and…”

“You told me first that was a good idea,” Ace replied, with a little frown because Sabo was being unreasonable.

“Better than having to marry him, leaving this house and being trapped for life,” Sabo corrected him. “It doesn’t mean Marco was better than them, since he didn’t let you decide anything.”

“Marco has his reasons,” Ace said. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, but I’m okay with the situation now.”

Sabo’s eyes remained fixed on Ace’s face. “Are you lying to me?” he said at last. “Is he blackmailing you in some way?”

“No. No,” Ace repeated. “Marco is… nice, in his own way.”

“Okay.” Sabo nodded. He patted Luffy’s shoulder. “Sorry if I ruined your night.”

“We can still have pizza!” Luffy exclaimed, as he saw Sabo heading for the front door.

“No, I have to go somewhere,” Sabo only commented before leaving.

***

Sabo took the metro; fifteen minutes later he climbed down and entered into an Irish pub. He didn’t pay attention to the bartender and headed for the toilet. He chose the second one of the row, the broken one, then, without closing the door, he pressed one of the bricks in the wall. The wall moved, revealing a stairway.

Sabo climbed down; the wall closed behind him and the light turned on. At the end of the stairs, Sabo chose the nearest door on the right and entered into a room with desks and computers. He sat down at the last one of the last row and tuned on the computer.

He typed his password and saw his familiar desktop. Only one document was there, named “Ace’s story”. Without hesitation, Sabo moved it in the trash. He opened another document and stared at the white paper.

“Sabo!” A voice came from behind, and the lights of the room were turned on. “You scared me. I thought no one was here anymore.”

“You’re here,” Sabo pointed out. “Sorry, Koala,” he added then, tired. “I wasn’t planning it.”

She sat down on the desk next to him. “Something happened?” she asked, concerned.

He licked his lips. “Do you remember I was writing an article about Ace’s experience with his Soulmate?” When Koala nodded, he continued, “My idea was to show how much the _Soulmate System_ can affect people’s lives even if they didn’t believe in it, but… turned out Ace is okay with the entire situation, so my article is kinda ruined.”

“In this way, you seem upset your brother isn’t miserable,” Koala commented.

“Of course not!” Sabo groaned. “Just… I felt… Maybe I was wrong, you know…?”

Koala tilted his head to the side. “Did you read my article?”

“The one about the problems of pregnant women?” Sabo asked, smiling. “It was great!”

Koala blushed. “Thank you,” she said. “Now, please tell me you think the _Soulmate System_ is right, even after hearing about women being forced into a pregnancy they don’t want by their Soulmates, or women unable to have their own children because they find a Soulmates too late.”

“The _Soulmate System_ is sick,” Sabo stated. “And we’ll take it down.”

“You were just a little upset because of Ace, I get it.” Koala placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, in the end it wasn’t right for me to use his story,” Sabo admitted. “But now I need another idea and I don’t have one.”

“What about a little suggestion?” Koala asked, with a smart smile.

“I’m listening.”

“During my research for the article about pregnancy, I stumbled upon a woman who died before finding a Soulmate.”

“It happens sometimes,” Sabo commented. “A Soulmate that dies too young, or that is born too late…” He snickered: how could it be destiny?

“Yes, but in this case you should still find some records,” Koala replied. “The dates of a dead person are inserted in the system.”

“And what if you died when your Soulmate is yet to be born?”

“The Soulmate, once he grows up, will find out his other half is dead,” Koala explained. “It happens sometimes, and someone decides to meet with the Soulmate’s family or things like that. But I checked: in some case, the Soulmate simply doesn’t exist.”

“Are you serious?”

“I found at least fifty people. They died last century and, right now, their Soulmate hasn’t been found yet. I think a hundred year is enough to conclude they didn’t have one.”

“Impressive…” Sabo exhaled.

“I have a theory. Asexual people exist. They have Soulmates, because sexual orientation is factored into the system,” Koala finished. “But what about ‘Asoul’ people? People who just doesn’t have a Soulmate.”

“If that’s true… One of the fundaments of the government’s ideology about Soulmates will fall. Having a Soulmate is not necessary for a human’s life.”

“You’re better now.” Koala jumped down from the desk. “I’ll lend you all my notes.”

Sabo passed the entire night checking them, even when Koala left, because it was too exciting of a discovery. After the argument with Ace, he wanted a distraction and this was exactly what he needed. He would face Ace once he felt more comfortable with his own mind.

He woke up the next morning from Dragon shaking him gently. He had fallen asleep on the paper he was reading.

“How many times have I told you to take your time?” Dragon said.

“Sorry,” Sabo smiled apologetically. “But this story is great.”

“Go home.”

“I will.”

Dragon looked at him carefully. “Since you’re here… Your twentieth birthday will be in two weeks.”

Sabo nodded unwilling. They both knew what it meant.

“Why?” he asked. “We should protest about it even in the little things.”

“We can’t risk being surveilled,” Dragon answered. “Which means you will register and you’ll accept your Soulmate no matter what. We can only hope you’ll be lucky and don’t find one for now.” Since Sabo wasn’t answering, Dragon continued, “We’re doing something too important here to protest in this petty way. Understand?”

“Yes. I understand.”

***

Marco drove back to the main building of the Whitebeard Corporation and he locked himself back in the office.

Surprisingly enough, he was pissed off. At himself.

What had happened at Ace’s house had upset him, making him realized how much Ace had suffered in the past because of his own actions, at least given how much the blond brother despised him.

He knew this would happen since the day he’d decided how to act with his Soulmate, and he was okay when Ace despised him. It was an expected consequence. What Marco didn’t foresee were his feelings for Ace. Since the day Ace had showed him his true self, Marco realized he’d stopped seeing him as a nuisance.

For a while, Marco thought it was possible to have a civil relationship with Ace. Love didn’t need to be involved, they could just be friends, as Ace had proposed. But meeting Ace’s family had destroyed those illusions, reminding him theirs was still an agreement forced by the twisted system of Soulmates.

Yet despite Marco trying to convince himself he was fine with the situation he’d first chosen, he ended up answering without hesitation when he noticed Ace was calling.

Funny, before that day Ace had never called him. And now, twice in a day. It was a record.

“Hi,” Marco greeted him, trying to sound fine.

“Hi. Are you busy?” Ace’s tone was wary, as usual.

“Not at all. May I help you?” Marco regretted the question, but he had to ask: he wasn’t stupid enough to believe Ace just wanted a nice conversation with him.

“I want to apologize about my brother’s behavior,” Ace said. “I mean Sabo’s, not Luffy’s, even if maybe I should about his too,” he added, and Marco could imagine his smile.

He chuckled. “I’m fine with both of them. Well, not fine about Sabo’s but… I understand his reasons.”

Ace sighed. “It’s possible… I exaggerated my stories about you a little.”

“In some ways, I’m sure I deserved it.”

“But it’s not all…” Ace continued. “Sabo has… a very bad relationship with the Soulmate System.”

Normally, Marco wouldn’t have been interested. He wasn’t a curious person and he respected other people’s privacy. Somehow, he was sure Sabo wouldn’t be pleased about Ace telling his story to Marco. But he didn’t want to hang up so soon.

“I’m listening.”

“Sabo isn’t my real brother. We chose each other, along with Luffy,” Ace explained. “His real parents are rich people, the kind of people who hate poverty and the poor.” Marco heard Ace snort. “So all they wanted from Sabo was to be the Soulmate of some other important person, so they can become richer and richer. They’re obsessed with reputation.”

“And the Soulmate System goes along with it,” Marco commented. It wasn’t something so different from what Marco had done.

“Yes,” Ace agreed. “Once they understood Sabo’s Soulmate wasn’t among the people they could accept as member of their family, well, he became useless to them. They treated him like trash, despite him being their only son, and in the end they abandoned him. Sabo was almost relieved, because at that point he was done with their attitude.” Ace’s tone became higher. “Still, they were his parents and gave up on him just because he didn’t have a damn tattoo on his skin.”

“Sounds like one of my brothers’ stories,” Marco commented, bitter.

“Or yours,” Ace replied, and Marco was shocked to understand he was referring to his experience before meeting Pops. “Besides… Sabo will be twenty in two weeks and he’ll probably find his Soulmate, so can you blame him for being a little sensitive about it?”

“Not at all,” Marco answered immediately. “I’m not offended about what happened, I assure you.”

“I’m glad you understand.” Ace was relieved. “I’ll speak to Sabo about you.”

“You don’t have to,” Marco replied. “After all…”

“No, no. We’re okay now and Sabo should know… you’re not so bad.”

Marco couldn’t hold a smile. “Thank you. Even if I’m not sure I deserve it.”

Ace didn’t answer, for a second only his breath was audible by the phone. “Well, I have to go now. Bye.”

Marco hang up with a smile still on his face, but then sighed. His gaze passed briefly over the photograph framed on his desk, with him and Ace and his smile. Marco knew that photo was as fake as their relationship, but he couldn’t help but look at him with joy.

He was ready to return back to work, when he noticed something dark between the index and middle finger of his left hand. He rubbed the skin, believing it was dirt, but then realized it was a tattoo.

A Soulmate Tattoo. With a particular name.

 _Sabo_.

Ace’s blond brother. Marco would have laughed at the irony, if it weren’t for something so abnormal. Damn, Marco had done everything with Ace to stay normal and now he had two Soulmate Tattoos? Was it some sort of twisted karma?

Marco was always so rational he didn’t know how to react to something so irrational.

For a while he stood there, frozen, looking at his brand new tattoo with a mixture of awe and terror. The time was necessary to regain some composure after the shock. Then he moved his gaze abruptly, disgusted.

His first course of action was, as usual, gaining some information about an occurrence Marco didn’t know about. From his knowledge, people with two Soulmate Tattoos didn’t exist, but it was also plausible that it was something the Government would keep secret.

Marco did some research on internet. As predicted, he didn’t find anything but a couple of websites which looked to be written by a mad man. He was ready to give up, when a pop up gained his attention.

He opened it to see a blank web page. A red sign dominated the middle of the page. It said: ‘would you like to know something about people with two Soulmates?’ Below, another sign advised to enter an email address to register at the website. Marco chose one email address he didn’t use anymore and pressed the button with the sign ‘enter’.

The page turned itself into a small chat. At the bottom, Marco noticed that, besides him, only one other person was registered there, with the nickname of ‘webmaster’. Before Marco had any chance to write down some ask, Webmaster used the chat to give a couple of links.

Intrigued, Marco pressed to the first one.

It was an old newspaper article about the arson of a house, which had resulted in the death of an entire family. Marco grit his teeth staring at the photo of the family, with a young smiling boy in the middle.

Not understanding what Webmaster was trying to do, Marco pressed the second link.

It was connected to the first one, a small interview about the best friend of the mother killed in the fire. The article was a little bit connected with Soulmates, since the interview explained she’d seen the mother after years of separation, because she’d moved to another town with her Soulmate.

_“Mary found her Soulmate after me, so I wasn’t there when she married and when she gave birth. Last week was the first time me and my Soulmate saw her son… Such a nice, happy boy. I can’t believe we lost them!”_

A third link appeared in the chat. Marco pressed it without thinking, too focused on finding out what the meaning was.

It was an obituary. Marco’s gaze passed over the dark writing, and he realized the pattern. The dead man was the Soulmate of the interviewee of the second link, and his death had come one month later after the arson.

There was a deep meaning about it, but Marco wasn’t sure what.

 

 _coolestguyintown@me.com_ : what are you trying to tell me?

 

Webmaster answered with more links. Marco pressed them in sequence. More articles and obituaries. The pattern was pretty clear: at least one of the people already had a Soulmate at the time of the death, and all the deaths were accidental. In few cases, Marco noticed, the person had died after his twentieth birthday.

 _God_ , he thought. The Government had killed all those people, only because they had two Soulmates, faking the deaths as accidents.

No matter how crazy the theory was, Marco didn’t doubt the Government was able to do something like that.

Still fazed by the discovery, Marco didn’t add anything, so Webmaster pressed him.

 

 _webmaster_ : do you understand now?

 _cooolestguyintown@me.com_ : yes

 _webmaster_ : do you have the second Soulmate Tattoo, or is it one of your relatives?

 

Marco hesitated. He wasn’t sure he could trust him, but he needed some answers.

 

 _cooolestguyintown@me.com_ : it’s me

 _webmaster_ : do you already have a register soulmate?

 _cooolestguyintown@me.com_ : yes

 _webmaster_ : and the other one?

 _cooolestguyintown@me.com_ : will sign in few days

 _webmaster_ : did your other soulmate have the tattoo too?

 _cooolestguyintown@me.com_ : not sure

 _webmaster_ : truth to be told, it is possible he/she doesn’t have

 _webmaster_ : you have to check, if it is possible

 _webmaster_ : the government will know you two met?

 _cooolestguyintown@me.com_ : yes

 _webmaster_ : okay

 _webmaster_ : we still have time

 _webmaster_ : the government doesn’t kill if it isn’t necessary

 _webmaster_ : so first things first, you both need to destroy the soulmate tattoo

 _webmaster_ : without it, the government can’t confirm you two are soulmate and won’t risk killing you

 _webmaster_ : they’ll just pretend your second soulmate doesn’t have any

 

It made sense, Marco thought. He stared at the writing of the chat, wondering if he was imagining everything. But he knew the Government well enough. Since he wasn’t answering, Webmaster continued.

 

 _cooolestguyintown@me.com_ : I don’t know my other soulmate well

 _cooolestguyintown@me.com_ : not sure I can ask him about it

 _webmaster_ : ok

 _webmaster_ : do not go to the Government

 _webmaster_ : you saw what they’ll do to hide people that have them

 _webmaster_ : but we can help you

 _webmaster_ : we can meet

 _webmaster_ : Mister Newgate

 

That was the last straw: Marco shut down the laptop abruptly and also took off the cable from the socket. He panted, his gaze lost in the air.

He didn’t trust the Government, but he didn’t trust a stranger on the internet either, no matter if Webmaster seemed like an expert about Marco’s situation. And Marco definitely wouldn’t trust a man able to understand how to hack into his laptop.

He took his phone and pressed the extension number three.

“Yes, boss?” Catviper answered with his usual cheerful voice.

“Sorry to bother you, but I have the feeling our net was attacked. Can you check?”

“Yes, sure. My boys are already on it.” Catviper’s voice sounded perplexed, but he didn’t complain.

“Let me know.”

While Marco waited for Catviper’s answer, he closed his eyes and reflected about the best course of action. His mind returned back to the articles Webmaster had given him, creating a pattern in his head.

Sabo would sign for the _Soulmate Destiny Meeting_ in few weeks; at that point, the Government would know about Marco’s two Soulmates. Webmaster said they would proceed with killing only if the found the tattoo.

Catviper called. “Hey, boss, looks you’re right. The hacker didn’t do any damage, nor stole information. I’ve no idea why he entered… But we closed him up now.”

“Thank you.”

Marco turned back looking at his tattoo. The only proof that Soulmates existed. Even with the _Soulmate Center Brain_ , only the tattoo could certify two Soulmates.

There were no other choices, then.

He stood up from his desk and opened a drawer. He took a lighter and let the flame brush his skin. He grit his teeth to withstand the pain, but he didn’t turn off the lighter until the tattoo on his hand was erased by the burn.

But it wasn’t enough, he had to be sure Sabo would hide his tattoo too. Assuming he had one of course. Given his conversation with Ace, there could be a possibility that Sabo would agree with his plan, since he hated the _Soulmate System_.

He could speak with Ace. He could even speak with Sabo. It was an important matter, after all. But his mind filled itself with the conversation that had happened at Ace’s apartment.

He shook his head to cancel it.

He wouldn’t say anything. He would only hope.

***

When Sabo returned home, he found Ace asleep on the couch, still dressed up. With a slight smile, he shook him to wake him up.

“Oh… you’re here finally.” Ace turned his head around, noticing it was already morning.

“Did you wait for me this entire time?” Sabo asked.

“Yes. I’d like to explain…”

“I’m sorry I’m so late,” Sabo interrupted him. “And I’m sorry about yesterday. I overreacted.”

Ace shook his head. “It’s my fault, I… should have told you about Marco before. I hesitated because I knew your thoughts about Soulmates.”

Sabo’s expression became serious. “Are you really okay with this?”

“I’m not in love,” Ace hurried to point out. Then nodded. “But now I get Marco’s reasons more, and I share them, in some ways. We have an agreement and it works, so I don’t complain.”

“Okay.” Sabo smiled and patted his shoulder. “If everything’s okay, I’m fine too.”

***

They were underestimating him. Just because that damn Vegapunk had been lucky enough to be the first one to implement the _Soulmate Center Brain_ didn’t mean he was the only genius around.

Caesar was as good as him. No, even better. He just needed the right occasion to prove it. And it would have happened if the big names in the Government wouldn’t keep asking for the best tasks to go to Vegapunk instead of him, forcing Caesar into mundane jobs.

“Do you have a minute, boss?”

Caesar stopped grumbling to himself about the unfairness and lifted his head to look at his assistant Monet, who had entered his office without him noticing.

“What?” he spat, annoyed.

“Today, I was called by the Scientific Department of Soulmate Matching Office because there was an anomaly in one of the results.”

“Anomaly?”

“The System matched a new DNA with an older one… One that was already matched.”

Caesar blinked. “A person with two matches for the _Soulmate System_?”

“Yes.” Monet nodded.

“Definitely an error.” Caesar shrugged.

“We did the matching three times. Same results.” Monet took off her glasses and leaned forwards, her hands placed on the desk. “Do you know what it means?”

Finally, Caesar eyes shined. “Vekapunk’s system is wrong. He made a mistake.”

“Maybe. Or maybe not,” Monet answered. “Our archives had an entire section about some anomalies… Things the Government doesn’t like to be known.”

Caesar’s big brain was working at top speed. For once, he had an occasion to show Vegapunk was not perfect. On the other hand, he was waiting for an opportunity to study Soulmates and find how they actually worked. Checking an anomaly could be the first step to his wish of evolving the human species.

“First of all, we must make sure it’s not a mistake,” Caesar stated. “Call Vergo and bring the two subjects to the nearest _SDM Office_.”

Monet bit his lips. “Boss… The standard procedure for anomalies is another one. Not _SDM_ , from the beginning. First we need to discover if the two subjects have met before, then-”

“I don’t care. No standard procedure at all. Take them and tell me if they have the Soulmate Tattoos.”

“And if they do?” Monet sighed.

“I’ll let you know. Now go.”

***

He was a man of the Government. Even if he didn’t have any symbol on his clothes, Marco recognized him immediately. He spent too much time as a member of the Whitebeard Family to not notice when he was being followed.

Still, he pretended not to notice. Most of the time the government surveillance was annoying but harmless, since they couldn’t do anything against the Whitebeard Corporation. And his relationship with Ace looked more real than ever, since his family had basically adopted him. No reason to panic, then, even if Marco now had a very big secret to worry about.

He reached for his car, when the man let the mask fall. He approached him and introduced himself.

“I’m Vergo of the Soulmate Agency. Please come with me.”

“What if I say no?”

“It wasn’t a question.” Vergo’s face didn’t change, but he leaned his hand in his pocket, grabbing something inside it.

Marco sighed. “Fine,” he nodded. The best choice was going along with them to find out what they wanted.

“Not with your car,” Vergo added, as Marco opened it. He nodded at the black truck parked on the other side of the street.

The situation was becoming dangerous fast, but Marco had no choice but to obey. He cursed the fact he’d given Pedro the day off from bodyguard duty, too sure the Government wouldn’t have approached him in public.

He followed Vergo, a hand placed in his pocked, so he could press the emergency button which gave his surveillance team an alarm. He did just in time because, as soon as the backdoor of the truck opened, he was dragged inside by strong hands, who searched him and confiscated his phone.

Marco avoided asking questions: the two men in the truck with him were masked, so it was not probable they would have answered him. Whatever was happening, the only hope Marco had was the Government not being stupid enough to kill him. Pops wouldn’t go easy on them otherwise.

For now, Marco could only stay calm and not give them any reason to become aggressive. When the truck parked, he let them drag him whenever they liked. They forced him into a lift, and then pressed the button from the outside. Marco was left alone in the small space as the lift reached the destined floor.

As soon as the door opened again, Marco recognized the place: it was the same mirror room he’d found himself at the time of the Soulmate Destiny Meeting. Now Marco knew the reason of his kidnap and he also had an inch about who was going to meet on the other side.

Different from the first time, no one asked him to get naked, and the mirror door was already opened, so Marco advanced until he found the door where the two Soulmate met for the first time. And, as predicted, Sabo was there.

He was pacing like tiger in a cage, but when he saw Marco he stopped, his eyes and his mouth open. His arms were let free at his sides and, Marco noticed, his brain was working. Still, Sabo didn’t say a word, something Marco was grateful for. Better not let them know the two of them had already met.

In the past weeks, Marco had managed to slip some harmless questions to Ace to supervise the situation, so he was pretty sure Sabo didn’t have Marco’s name tattooed, or he hid it pretty well. Now, Sabo’s surprise told Marco the right answer was the first one.

They both stood still, without talking, but they didn’t wait for long. From each side of the room came masked men that dragged Marco and Sabo in opposite directions, back to the mirror room. That time Marco was undressed, his body searched for a trace of the tattoo. Marco held his breath for the entire process, but luckily enough they didn’t pay attention to the patch covering his burn.

“Nothing there, sir,” one of the men said. A second of silence, then, “Yes sir. Dress yourself.”

Marco didn’t let them repeat it, and was relieved when they pushed him back into the lift alone. He breathed hard, realizing he was safe because Sabo didn’t have any tattoo and his wasn’t discovered. Once again he managed to escape the Government’s hands.

The lift stopped on the ground floor in the hall one stayed before the _Soulmate Matching_ started. The girl at the reception looked surprised to see him, her smile apologetic.

“I’m sorry,” she said before pointing him to the exit.

Marco rushed outside. It was possible Sabo had the same results, so they let him go from another door. So Marco ran around the building, hoping to find the right door before Sabo left. He guessed it was on the opposite side from his, since the Government kept the Soulmates as far as possible. It turned out he was right.

“Hey!” he called, recognizing the blonde hair from a distance.

Sabo was already on his way, but stopped and turned around to look at him. His expression was annoyed.

“It’s you,” he commented dryly.

“We need to talk,” Marco stated, as he reached him.

Sabo smirked. “Pity, it looks like you’re not my Soulmate so you can’t kidnap me as you did with Ace.”

No surprise Ace had told him everything. “Even so, I don’t have a car with me,” Marco replied. “They dragged me here as they did with you, I guess.”

Sabo’s gaze was fixed on Marco’s. “I’m going home and I’m taking the metro,” he commented. But he didn’t specify anything, and he didn’t say anything either when Marco followed along.

In silence, they reached the nearest metro stop and they sat down on one bench in front of the binary. Sabo was the first one to speak.

“You have the tattoo, don’t you?”

Marco blinked. “Why do you think that?”

“You didn’t look surprised to see me there.”

“I wasn’t,” Marco admitted. He lifted his left hand. “It appeared after our meeting at your house.” He slowly freed his skin from the patch, showing the burn below.

Sabo grabbed the hand, his index finger rubbing the border of the wound. “What did you do?”

“I erased it, in the only way I know,” Marco explained. “Ace told me about your parents and for the system I already have a Soulmate… no need to drag you in this shit.”

Sabo let go of his hand. “Ace shouldn’t have.”

“He was worried I misjudged you. I didn’t.”

Sabo’s gaze was low, looking at the binary. “My body is cover with scars, so it is possible I have a tattoo but never found out. That’s the only positive thing about the accident I had.”

“What accident?”

“My parents tried to tattoo me with a fake and then bribed an employer of the Scientific Department so they could match me with the person they chose for me. I told a wrong name to the tattooist, the name of our maid. My parents were so mad they burned me to cancel it.”

“I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t be. They were shitty parents anyway.”

Marco understood the topic they were talking about was hard to face for Sabo, so he changed the subject.

“Do you consider me a freak now? Because-”

Sabo laughed, interrupting him. “Because you have two Soulmates?”

“Yes. I mean, I don’t really believe in it, but…”

Sabo looked at him. “We don’t know anything about Soulmates, that’s the truth,” he said, serious. “The Government trapped the info in what they think is right and erased every anomaly. Believe me, I know.”

Marco was about to ask if he spoke with Webmaster too, but Sabo continued, “This doesn’t mean I have any interest in you. Frankly, I can’t believe this is happening. But don’t doubt for a second you’re perfectly fine.”

“I won’t, thank you,” Marco answered gratefully. “About Ace…”

The sound of the train covered his words as it entered in the station. Sabo stood up and drew near the binary. Only when the train stopped and the doors opened, he turned around.

“Ace is happy with you, whatever relationship you two have, so I’m okay with it. For me, this never happened.” And he pointed out at Marco’s burn. Then jumped on the train. Only when the door closed in front of him, he added, “but thank you!”

Marco waited for the train to disappear before he stood up and searched for his own way to return home.

***

Sabo didn’t go straight home after the not so conventional _Soulmate Destiny Meeting_. Instead, he took another route to reach the pub he worked for. He ignored the clients and used the secret entrance in the restroom, entering into the Revolutionary Army’s shelter.

“Hey, Sabo!” Bunny Joe greeted him, but his face fell as soon as he saw Sabo’s expression. “Did something happen with the _SM_?” he asked immediately, remembering Sabo signed himself a few days ago.

“You can tell?” Sabo said tiredly. “Can I speak with Dragon?”

“Sure. He’s in his office.”

Sabo nodded and moved towards the dark hallway to reach the last door. He knocked, but entered without waiting for an answer. Dragon didn’t lift his head, his eyes fixed on the computer’s screen, finger pressed on the mouse.

“I had a _SDM_ ,” Sabo affirmed, standing still in front of the desk Dragon was sitting at.

Dragon nodded and, with his hand, ordered Sabo to sit down. Once he did, Dragon finally looked at him. He studied his expression for a second, then said, “Tell me.”

And Sabo told him everything. Well, almost everything. He skipped Ace’s story, starting instead when he and Marco had met, and ending with his conversation with Marco at the metro station. Dragon listened in silence.

“Some weeks ago, Mister Newgate opened our website,” Dragon commented. “We found him because he was searching about people with two Soulmates.”

“Oh.”

“Bunny Joe rushed things a little, so we didn’t manage to bring him to us. Pity we hadn’t understood he was speaking about you.”

“It’s still a good thing,” Sabo concluded, with a smile. “I won’t have to worry about my Soulmate anymore. I don’t have one.”

“You were lucky,” Dragon stated. “If Mister Newgate hadn’t noticed the tattoo… you both would have been killed.”

“I know.” Maybe he hadn’t showed it back then, but when he’d seen Marco he’d felt it was over.

“Would you like to use it against the Government?”

“No.”

The answer came immediately. Revealing this story would drag Marco into it, and Sabo didn’t want that. Not only for Marco, but for Ace.

Dragon nodded. He moved forward and pull Sabo’s arm in front of him, palm towards the ceiling. His pointer finger tapped on Sabo’s right wrist.

“Still, we’re making sure you’ll be safe from now on.”

***

When Marco returned home he was greeted by a concerned Thatch.

“Dogstorm received your alarm call, then he found your cellphone abandoned in the street, we were so worried…”

Oh. Right. With all the fuss Marco forgot they had confiscated his phone without giving it back.

“I apologize,” he said. “I lost it somewhere. The alarm call was probably a mistake.”

Thatch wasn’t convinced, but he also knew that he could gain something else if Marco decided to keep a secret, so he nodded. “Dinner will be ready in half an hour.”

“Thank you.”

Marco took time to go in his room and have a shower, so he could shove off the dirt he felt after the event of the day. Then, when his brain cooled down enough, Marco sat at the desk and wrote a small letter explaining the situation about him, Ace and Sabo.

He hid it in his closet, under a pile of sweaters. It could be useful for the time being.

***

“You made a mistake.”

Caesar couldn’t wait to gloat about it as soon as he’d found out the two subjects weren’t Soulmates at all. In some way, the satisfaction of rubbing it in Vegapunk’s face was better than having guinea pigs for experimentation.

“A matching result for two people that aren’t Soulmates. Heck, one of the two already has his Soulmate, the poor guy could have a heart attack!”

Vegapunk wasn’t impressed. “I don’t make mistakes.”

“You just did!” Caesar laughed.

“Did one of the two man have scars? Or any kind of wounds? Because it is possible to not having a tattoo if the skin is damaged.”

The sentence made the laugh die in Caesar’s throat. He looked at Vegapunk’s face, while his memory came back to the picture taken from the Mirror Rooms. One of the two was covered in scars, and the other… did the other have a wound too?

Since Caesar wasn’t replying anymore, Vegapunk shrugged and turned around, letting Caesar face his last defeat. Angry for being fooled, Caesar rushed back to his office.

“What?” he barked at Monet, whom he found sitting down in his own chair.

“I did some research,” Monet said, not bothered at all by Caesar’s attitude. “The subject n. 34125, Sabo Outlook, lives in the same house of subject n. 30867, Portgas D. Ace.”

“Very interesting,” Caesar commented with sarcasm.

“Portgas D. Ace is Marco Newgate’s Soulmate. Marco Newgate is subject n. 10345, of course.” Now Monet was smiling, waiting for Caesar to realize it.

“So Marco Newgate is supposed to have two Soulmates that live together?”

“More importantly, it is highly possible that Marco Newgate and Sabo Outlook met before our _SDM_.” Monet opened a folder, leafing through the picture. “And funny enough, Marco Newgate has a curious patch on his left hand.” She lends the picture to Caeser, who looked at it carefully.

“So you’re saying that this patch hides the tattoo?”

“Or a wound that was used to erase it. After all, having two tattoos is an abnormality everyone would try to hide.”

Finally, Caesar smiled again, all traces of his rage disappeared.

“I want to study them.”

***

Drunkenness was something Marco wasn’t used to. Thatch was very frustrated by it, but Marco could drink more than usual and still be himself, even if all the people around him were completely drunk.

So the first thing that came to Marco’s mind as he regained consciousness was Thatch’s amused expression in finding out even he can actually get drunk.

Then, some images surfaced from the mist of his mind. He was at Ace’s place, for some reason... Ah, yes, Ace had forgot a book in his car and Marco had gone back to return it. Marco remembered clearly Sabo’s figure sitting on the sofa, pretending not to look at him.

Marco blinked. Someone… Someone entered from the door and dragged him away. Government people? He remembered being forced on a stretcher, someone holding an oxygen mask on his face, and then someone had taken his hand and checked the burn…

Marco awoke abruptly, breathing hard. He hadn’t remembered everything, but it was clear he was kidnapped and drugged. And whatever reason they had, it was connected with his Soulmates.

No surprise, then, when Marco found out he wasn’t alone in whatever place he was. Sabo and Ace lay down next to him, still asleep. Like him, they were both naked. Marco noticed the sign of injection on Ace’s arm and, immediately, he looked at himself. In his arm there was the same sign, and Marco wondered if they had taken some blood from them or, worse, they put something inside them.

Finally, Marco observed the surroundings. He was on a king size bed, with three pillows, and a black cover. The room was small, impersonal; it looked like a hotel room, since there weren’t any pictures or ornaments around and all the furniture was new. No windows, so the room was lit by two flower lamps in the corner. The color of choice was peculiar, since both the wardrobe on the left wall of the room and the closed door were red.

And even more peculiar was the mirror on the ceiling, who gave back to Marco the image of his naked body, alongside Ace’s and Sabo’s. It made him feeling dirty.

He couldn’t see any point in kidnapping and locking them in a bedroom. And not understanding worried him more.

He shook Ace to wake him up. Marco felt he’d looked at him long enough. Slowly, Ace blinked.

“Marco, what…” And then he realized he was naked, in a bed with Marco. He blushed and immediately moved a few inches away. “What the hell…?”

“No idea,” Marco said. He moved and left the bed. “What do you remember?”

But, now that Marco’s body was out of the way, Ace spotted Sabo and immediately reached for him. “Sabo! Sabo!”

“What!” Sabo protested, hiding his head behind the nearest pillow. “Let me sleep!”

Marco chuckled. “I’m glad he’s so relaxed,” he commented.

Ace shot him a glare. “What happened?”

“As I said, I had no idea,” Marco answered. “The last thing I remember is-”

“You brought back my book,” Ace interrupted him. “And then…”

“Someone kidnapped us.” It was Sabo’s voice. Now that he was fully awake, he took in the situation in a second.

“Why?” Ace’s look passed between Marco and Sabo, perplexed. “I mean, I can understand kidnapping Marco for ransom, but…”

Sabo bit his lip. Slowly, he moved away from the bed.

“Have you seen what’s behind the door?”

“Not yet,” Marco said. “First things first, I was looking for something for cover myself.”

Sabo noticed in that instant they were naked, and looked away. Ace blushed, but his eyes passed over Sabo’s scars, which covered all the left side of his arm and torso, and then focused on Marco’s tattoo below his left nipple.

Marco opened the first of the three closet doors. He counted three different slacks, four or five shirts and a couple of t-shirts. Inside the closet were also two drawers which contained pants and socks and, at the bottom, a pair of slippers. As he checked, Marco noticed the clothes were new, since they still had the tag price, and they had his size.

Whoever had kidnapped them, they hadn’t done it for money. And not for hurting them, since he had taken so many efforts to prepare all those for them.

Marco grabbed a white shirt and jeans and dressed himself fast. Once he finished, he looked up. The other two closet doors were made for Ace and Sabo, as they had found clothes of their size. Now that the three of them weren’t naked anymore, Marco could take a relieved breath.

“Who the hell kidnaps people and then buys clothes for them?” Ace commented. Again, Sabo bit his lip.

“I’ll go ahead,” Marco stated, as he reached for the red door.

“It is open?” Ace asked, dubious.

Marco lowered the handle, and the door moved. Slowly, he pushed it and took a step ahead. He found himself in another room.

A big windows took up the entire opposite wall, but Marco didn’t recognize the garden he could see outside. At his left, there was another door; it was half open and he glimpsed a bathroom.

In the center of the room was a big black sofa in front of a low table and a 42-inch screen. The room also had a kitchenette, with a small dinner table with three chairs. There was a metal door next to the kitchenette, but with not handle to grip.

“I bet the fridge is full,” Sabo said.

“This is insane,” Ace commented. “What kind of psychopath is doing this?”

“Good Morning!” A metal voice came out of nowhere.

Marco looked around, but he didn’t spot any speaker. He didn’t doubt that there were also hidden cameras around the room. He felt naked even more.

“I apologize for the rudeness from before, but it was an emergency situation,” the metal voice continued. “And it’s all for your own good.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Sabo muttered.

Marco was more diplomatic. “So can we know who you are and why we’re here?”

“I’m the head physician of infectious diseases, my name isn’t important,” the voice said. “We were informed you three have been exposed to a very dangerous disease named Amber Lead Syndrome. It is a contagious disease and the vaccine is effective only in 20% of cases. It is contagious by air and the disease can incubate for even forty days before the subject shows the first symptoms. For this reason, we had to isolate you until we’re sure you’re not contagious nor sick.”

“That’s a poor excuse!” Ace snapped. “We should be in a hospital, checked by real doctors!”

“Your relatives and your employers are already aware of your situation,” the voice continued as if he didn’t hear a word of what Ace had said. “But you can still contact them in person using the phone behind you.”

Marco turned around and noticed in that moment the small half-moon shelf next to the door without handle; there was a phone on it. He couldn’t help but smile thinking about Pops finding out his General Manager was kidnapped with that poor excuse.

“I can’t stay here for forty days!” Ace protested. “I have work. I have university. And I have Luffy to take care of!”

“You will have for this forty days everything to live and work from your room. For every other need you have, please dial one on the phone.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ace marched and grabbed the phone, furiously pressed the button one. No one answered. “Damn you.” Ace throw the receiver on the shelter, exasperated. “I’m not staying here one minute more.”

He reached for the big window, but of course it couldn’t be opened. Before Marco could stop him, Ace grabbed one of the chair and tossed it against the window. The glass broke, but the chair slammed against something hard and bounced back, almost hitting Ace in the process.

The window wasn’t a window, but only glass put against a metal wall. The light was made artificially by some small lamps behind the glass and, Marco guessed, it was a hologram that created the garden outside.

“Don’t be fooled,” Sabo commented bitter. “This is not a house; this is a cage inside some lab and we’re their guinea pigs.”

Marco placed his arms on Ace’s shoulders and gently moved him away from the glass now spread on the ground. Ace’s feet were still naked and Marco was worried he could hurt himself, but Ace shook off his grip. Marco didn’t press.

“Are you okay with this?” Ace took two steps back, dangerously near the glass, and faced both Marco and Sabo, who had remained near the door of the bedroom. “All this disease bullshit. You don’t believe it, do you? We have to do…” He looked at Sabo. “Luffy needs…”

And then his voice trailed out as realization hit him.

“You know why we’re here,” Ace stated. “You know.”

Marco sighed. He didn’t know for sure, but he had a strong guess about it. But he and Sabo had an agreement about it, so he turned around to face Sabo and let him decide. Between the two of them, Sabo was the one closer to Ace.

“We know,” Sabo confirmed. He took two steps and slammed down on the sofa. “They’re studying us because they think Marco has two Soulmates. You… and me.”

Ace blinked. “Is it possible?”

“Both of us were dragged to the _Soulmate Office_ and the analysis of my DNA matches Marco’s,” Sabo explained. “But we don’t have the tattoos, so they let us go…”

“Or so we thought,” Marco added, looking around.

“I’m covered in scars,” Sabo stated. “Of course they can’t be sure. And about Marco…”

Marco lowered his left hand and covered the wound he had with the other, but he was sure Ace didn’t miss it.

“As you said, Ace, we’re not in a hospital. We’re in a lab, and they probably would like to study the behavior of strange creatures with two Soulmates…” Sabo closed his hand and his knuckles became white. He was angry. “Of course they won’t just tell us that.”

Ace hadn’t moved his gaze from Marco’s hand. “God…” he exhaled. “It’s my fault.”

Marco blinked. His mind rushed back to find something Ace could have done that revealed the secret, but nothing came. Sabo, instead, jumped up.

“No! Not at all!”

“Yes!” Ace replied. He was shaking. “You… You and Marco are supposed to be Soulmates. I’m in the middle of this… God, I’m so sorry…”

Marco had never seen Ace like that. Sure, he’d witnesses a moment of weakness when Ace had gotten drunk, but it wasn’t like this. He felt the urge to go and hug him, to comfort him. Whatever Ace could have done, they could fix it. Together. And for sure it wasn’t Ace’s fault they got caught in this bullshit about Soulmates…

Still, he didn’t move. It wasn’t his place, as much as it hurt. Sabo was already in front of Ace, one of his hands on Ace’s shoulder to keep him away from the glass on the ground.

 

“This isn’t your fault,” Sabo repeated. “These things… people with two Soulmates… they happen. Even if the Government erased them from the existence, it’s something that already happened. I know. You don’t have any fault in this.”

“Are you sure?”

“You don’t trust me anymore?”

“Of course I trust you.” This time, Ace’s voice was sure.

“Good.” Sabo smiled.

Ace took a deep breath. “So, what do you suggest? It’s clear my plan was a failure.” He nodded at the broken glass behind him.

“For now, there’s nothing we can do here,” Marco commented. His gaze was still on Ace’s face, looking for any sign of distress. “But we can call people outside, so at least they’ll know we’re okay.”

“Yeah, we should call Luffy,” Ace nodded.

“We’ll be out of there soon, I’m sure,” Sabo said.

Marco wasn’t so optimistic, but for now they had no other choice. He pointed at the telephone. “Do it first, I’ll call Pops later.”

***

“Can I ask something, Boss?”

Monet drew near Caesar’s armchair, a record in her hands and her glasses on.

“Sure.”

“Don’t you think it’s risky letting them contact the outside?” Monet asked. “I appreciate the idea of the disease,” and at that Caesar grinned, “but I’m not sure it’ll be safe for our operation if other people outside our laboratories know it. Especially,” she bent down to whisper at his ear, “because it’s not an official operation.”

“Your concern is understandable.” Caesar patted her hips. “But it’s a risk we have to take. If we want to study their behavior they have to act as natural as possible. Not having them contact their relatives outside will mean they would be too focus on escape.”

“I see.”

“But I’m pretty sure you’ll do your best to keep the situation under control,” Caesar grinned again.

Monet smirked. “I’ve already sent some of our men to speak with Mister Newgate and Mister Portgas’s family. We’ll keep an eye on them to be sure they don’t contact the wrong people.”

“Good.” Caesar stopped looking at her and returned back to the multiple screens: two of his three guinea pigs were exploring the room, the last one was speaking on the phone. “What is he saying?”

“He has some requests to keep working,” Monet explained. “A laptop, for example. I’ll make sure we can control the contents before it goes online.”

“Do the same even with phone call,” Caesar ordered. His eyes became smaller, as he focused on the screen, noticing his three guinea pigs tried to stay separated in different groups, which wasn’t his plan.

“The place is too small, they can’t continue for long,” he said to himself, as Monet left to take care of everything.

***

As Sabo was cleaning the glass from the floor and Marco was talking on the phone with whoever answered the number one, Ace finished his exploration of the apartment. Now that Luffy knew they were safe and sound, he felt a little bit relaxed. Of course, the situation was still too crazy for him to be quiet, so he focused on the place they’re in.

As Sabo predicted, the fridge was full and so was the freezer. Though, Ace supposed, with his and Sabo’s appetite, it wouldn’t last long. The kitchenette was equipped like a professional one, with some instruments Ace had never used. Whoever was keeping them prisoner, sure put effort in creating the environment to study them.

Same could be said for the bathroom, which had a laundry machine and a dryer, enough towels and shampoo for all of them, plus both shower and bath tub, the bath being big enough to contain three people.

The last thing he checked was the bedroom. Before, he was too focused on covering himself to look at the clothes in the wardrobe, but now he took some time to check them. All the clothes were new, but the style was similar to the one Ace usually wore. Same could be said for Sabo’s. There were also slippers of the right size.

Ace wore them, since the floor was a little bit cold. Then, he heard a sound from the dining room. He went back and noticed the bottom part of the metal door near the kitchenette was actually a drawer and it was now open.

“It’s automatic,” Sabo explained to him, as he kneeled down to check on the inside.

Ace looked at it too: there was a package with Marco’s laptop inside and the books they’d asked for to study. Sabo checked with his hands, but there was no hole nor opening to check outside. As soon as they took everything off, the drawer closed by itself, and the metal door returned an impenetrable wall.

“I guess they’ll supply us like that,” Sabo said. “No chance to meet someone.”

“And they’ll check everything we do,” Marco added. He sat on the sofa, his new laptop in front of him on the small table, already open. “We have internet connection, but I’ve just tried to send a message about our situation on Facebook and it got blocked.”

“Of course,” Sabo snorted. “They want us to live but not to expose them.”

“Did you tell Whitebeard we’re here because of the _Soulmate System_?” Ace asked.

Marco shook his head. “As soon as I said something related to Soulmates, the telephone line fell. Pops suspected something, of course, but I couldn’t be clear with him so I just assured him I’m okay.”

Sabo reached the phone and pressed one. “Yes? Please, can I also have a laptop? No, it’s for my studying. No, I don’t… hello?” He threw the receiver away.

“They won’t let you have one?” Ace asked, wondering why Sabo needed a laptop.

“No, they said we already have one.” Sabo wasn’t happy.

“If you need to use it…” Marco offered, but Sabo stopped him

“No, thanks.” He looked around. “It’s a small place, but we can manage it. You take the dining room and Ace and I the bedroom. We have to share the kitchenette and the bathroom so we’ll just need different times.” He took his pile of books from the floor and left.

Ace, with a last look at Marco, who hadn’t commented anything, grabbed his owns books and hurried to followed Sabo. He closed the door behind him.

“You can’t avoid him forever. Not in here.”

“I can try,” Sabo replied.

Ace sighed. “Marco’s actually a good person, I’m pretty sure you’d like him too. And once we’re out of here…”

“Never said I don’t like him,” Sabo interrupted him, as he put his books on one of the night tables.

“Then why?” Ace blinked.

“He’s my Soulmate, do I need another reason?”

Ace opened his mouth a couple of times, but nothing came out. Sabo had his reasons to be wary of Soulmates and Ace didn’t want to force him. And of course, since Sabo was his brother, he would stay at his side, not Marco’s. He had to.

Sabo smirked, looked at Ace, then he kissed him. It was something fast, just lips touching briefly, but it was enough to make Ace blush and startle.

“What the hell?”

“I’m just giving them something they won’t expect.” Sabo shrugged.

“And kissing me was your best idea?” Ace protested.

“Wait, was it your first kiss?” Sabo asked with a mixture of surprise and amusement.

“That’s not it!” Ace shot him a glare. “You’re a jerk, you know.”

“Sorry.”

He didn’t look regretful at all, so Ace jumped forwards with the intention of getting revenge in the only way they knew: with a good fight. Sabo ran away, but since the room was too small, Ace grabbed him from the bottom of his shirt, making him fell on the bed. Ace laid on top of him to hold him still.

“Damn,” Sabo protested under his breath, but he only pretended to struggled.

Ace closed his eyes, relaxing from the small sound of Sabo’s breath and heartbeat. Sabo had been his first friend, even before they’d swore to be brothers along with Luffy, and his presence always made Ace calm.

“Are you sure this isn’t my fault?” he murmured.

“Yes,” Sabo said, and his voice was clear. “Don’t be fooled, this thing about two Soulmates has happened to other people too. You or your parents aren’t the only exceptions.”

“How do you know?”

“I have my sources.”

Understanding Sabo wouldn’t explain more, Ace nodded. “Thank you,” he whispered, as he gripped his hand in Sabo’s.


	4. Marco, Ace and Sabo

The room was dark, lit only by the light blue of the laptop screen. Marco lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes, tired. He should get to bed, but the idea of sleeping on the sofa again wasn’t so thrilling. His shoulders and neck ached from the unnatural position Marco kept, and Marco felt like an old man.

Two weeks. They were closed in this cage for two weeks and Marco was surprised none of them had gone crazy. Every time he managed to speak with Pops, or send him e-mails, he reassured they were doing their best to free him, and Marco didn’t doubt it. But the Government was too powerful and, with the excuse of a contagious disease, they could keep even the Whitebeard Corporation away.

Marco’s gaze shifted to the kitchen table, where a dish with a piece of cake remained in the dim light. In his mind appeared the memory of Ace and Sabo cooking together and laughing and having fun, and Marco guessed it had been something similar when Ace had made the laxative cake.

Marco knew they felt like had did, trapped and worried about their family, but at least they had each other. They reminded him of his own brothers, so Marco felt jealous. But at the same time he couldn’t help but keep his distance. They didn’t have that kind of relationship and, as Sabo had made clear, they didn’t want to.

A tattoo didn’t mean anything, after all.

He put back his glasses, ready to get back at work, when he heard a sound behind him. Turning around, he noticed Ace at the bedroom’s door. He wore pajama pants, but no shirt, and his hair was messy around his head.

He yawned, before noticing Marco on the sofa.

“You’re still awake?”

“I have some work to do.”

Ace looked at him, an eyebrow lifted, as if Marco was just using work as an excuse not to become crazy, then nodded. Without adding anything he went to the bathroom and Marco, with a last look, turned back to his laptop’s screen.

Ace come back a few minutes later, lingering in front of the sofa until Marco lift his gaze to him.

“Can I sit down with you?”

“Sure,” Marco hurried to move some pillows to create space, and put the laptop on his knees. “Can’t you sleep?”

“Not really… which is strange, you know?” Ace cracked a smile, referring at his narcolepsy. “Plus Sabo is snoring.”

He didn’t add anything, closing his eyes and leaning on the seatback, and Marco didn’t press. He was typing on the laptop, when he noticed Ace was staring at him.

“I didn’t know you use glasses.”

“I do sometimes,” Marco explained. “If I use the computer for too long my eyes burn, so I have to protect them.”

“I see.”

“Now you’re thinking I’m an old man,” Marco joked.

“A little bit,” Ace admitted, with an amused smile. “But… I like them.”

For Marco, it was clear there was a little tension in Ace’s way of speaking. The entire situation brought back the relationship they built, when lately Ace had spent all of his time with Sabo. Marco wasn’t offended by it but, sure, he wouldn’t mind keeping his relationship with Ace.

“Can I ask you something?”

Ace blinked, surprised. “Uh, sure.”

“The very first day of our… quarantine,” Marco began, using a word that didn’t really describe their situation, “you said it was your fault. I didn’t understand back then and I’m still wondering what you meant.”

Ace looked at him, but he didn’t speak. His hands were in his lap and he rubbed them, nervous.

“I realize this is a stressful situation for each one of us, but the Government is at fault here,” Marco continued. “Instead of helping us deal with this, they lock us up and-”

He stopped as Ace hugged him. His hands grabbed Marco’s back, as Ace rested the head on his shoulder. Marco was about to hug him back, when he understood it was a way to avoid the Government hearing and not a comforting gesture.

“My father… and my mother…” Ace whispered in Marco’s ear, words that came out with difficulty. “They weren’t Soulmates. They were killed because of it and I was saved only because of gramps.”

Ace paused, his breath deep. The hands on Marco’s back tightened.

“I shouldn’t have existed. I’m the only anomaly here…” His voice cracked. “You and Sabo are the true Soulmates, I’m just in the middle and that’s why we’re trapped in this cage.”

His hands rested a little bit, before Ace stopped the hug and pulled back on the sofa.

“Now you know,” he concluded. “We can reconsider the term of our agreement once we’re out of here, of course, and maybe I can speak with Sabo about your needs, even if I’m not sure I can convince him…” Words came out from Ace’s mouth only to fill the silence, only to avoid hearing Marco’s reaction.

“I love you.”

Marco didn’t even think. He just felt the urge to stop Ace’s blabbering and, at the same time, reassure him. It worked, in some way.

“What?” Ace blinked.

“I love you,” Marco repeated, after taking a deep breath. “Not since the beginning, of course… At first you were just nuisance. Someone I had to deal with to protect my family.”

“Yeah, I noticed that much, you jerk.” But there was a little smile on Ace’s lips.

“But then you understood me and, despite everything, you helped me. That’s when I finally saw you as the person you are… and I love it.”

Marco waited for Ace to say something, but it didn’t happen. Ace looked at him with big eyes, looking vulnerable.

“So I’m glad you exist and please, don’t say that you shouldn’t. This isn’t your fault and, even if it was, I would have been ready to face it.” Remembering Sabo’s words, he added. “Do you believe me?”

“Yes,” Ace nodded. He licked his lips as Marco turned back to his laptop, which had fall on the sofa when Ace had hugged him. “Since when have you…?”

“I don’t have an exact moment.” Marco’s gaze was focused on the screen. “But, if I had to choose, I’d say when you took the picture of both of us. I still have it in my office.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I was afraid.”

“Afraid?”

“Since the beginning our relationship was meant to be fake,” Marco explained. “And it isn’t going to change because now I’m in love with you. I just wanted to be sure it wasn’t an excuse. My first priority was to protect my family. Loving you… wasn’t part of the plan. And it still isn’t. It happened and I accept it, but it changes nothing in our agreement… We’ll be done once my family is safe.”

“Don’t worry, I understand.” Ace chuckled a little. “But, as usual, you’re a jerk for not considering my feelings at all.”

Marco swallowed. He turned back to Ace, but his gaze was on his hands. Ace was right: Marco didn’t consider his feelings, but only because his main concern was to reassure him. Marco wouldn’t keep Ace with him because he loved him and Ace needed to know it before everything else.

But if Ace would remain… That was an entire different story.

“You know, when we were little Sabo and I spoke a lot about Soulmates,” Ace explained. “He hated the _Soulmate System_ , of course, and I had my reason to believe I don’t belong there, so we both agreed we would never end up with our Soulmate. We would be free from the System.” A small, bitter smile appeared on his lips. “Loving my soulmate feels like a betrayal now.”

There was nothing Marco could add. He wasn’t sure he could confirm Ace loved him back, but he wouldn’t press. He only cursed in his mind the Soulmate System, which was a blessing and a curse. He was grateful for having meet Ace, but was it worth it when the reason they had meet was also the reason that kept them apart?

“I’m still happy we met,” Marco said at last, eyes back on his laptop screen.

Ace nodded. “Can I stay here a little while?”

“Of course.”

Slowly, Ace moved close to him, placing his head on Marco’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and Marco passed a hesitant arm around his back. Ace didn’t move away, but he settled better into the position.

Marco looked at his face a little bit, relieved there wasn’t any sign of anxiety, and he was about to close the laptop and sleep too, when he noticed a movement behind him. In the dim light, he saw Sabo at the bedroom’s entrance. He didn’t realize he was there.

Their gaze met for a brief moment, but the dark prevented Marco from seeing Sabo’s expression. Then, Sabo turned around and went back to the bedroom.

***

“I’m done, your turn,” Sabo said, opening the bedroom’s door.

Still in bed, Ace stretched.

“Okay.”

Sabo watched him stand up, smiling brightly, then head towards the bathroom, scratching his head. When Ace closed the door behind him, Sabo headed to the kitchenette. His gaze lingered a while on Marco’s figure, sitting on the black sofa and tapping on his keyboard.

For a brief moment, Sabo found amusement in the scene because it looked like Marco was pinned to that place like a stone statue, since Sabo rarely saw him in other positions. Still, it was understandable.

The place they were closed in was small, with no space for privacy, and it was Sabo who banned Marco from sharing time with him or Ace. Plus, Marco, despite everything, was still the General Manager of one of the most important companies in the country, so it wasn’t so strange that he spent all his time in front of the computer’s screen.

Sabo shot a glare at Marco as he used the coffee maker. He couldn’t pretend forever that he hadn’t heard the conversation the night before, and he was pretty sure Marco had seen him.

He poured the coffee in two cups; the remainder would be enough for Ace. He moved and sat down on the sofa, keeping a small distance between him and Marco.

“Do you want some coffee?” Sabo asked, one of the two cups extended towards Marco.

Marco, who had pretended until that moment to not notice Sabo, turned his head at him, surprised. Sabo gave a little smirk: sure he had ignored Marco for so long that it was strange he was speaking with him and offering coffee.

But Marco was fast to recover. He accepted the cup with a small nod, before turning back to the screen.

“You heard me and Ace last night, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Sabo took a sip of coffee. “I’m not going to apologize for it, as you may think. I did that to protect my brother.”

“That… I can understand,” Marco replied.

Sabo looked at him penetratingly. “Will you add anything?”

“No.” Marco conceded a small smile. “Words don’t mean anything and you already have enough prejudices about me.”

“I don’t,” Sabo replied, but his voice didn’t sound so sure.

“I’m Ace’s Soulmate, that’s all you need.”

Sabo bit his lips for a second, as though to hold back a retort. His attention went back to his coffee.

“Can I ask you something?” Marco said, then. After receiving a little nod, he continued, “What do you think they are trying to achieve keeping us together here?”

“No idea,” Sabo admitted, while he rubbed a little at his right wrist.

“I think you do,” Marco affirmed, but there wasn’t accusation in his voice. “And I have an idea, too.”

“What is it?”

“We’re like guinea pigs. They are studying our behavior. Looking to see if the fact that I have two Soulmates means something in my relationship with you and Ace.”

Sabo nodded. “It’s believable,” he admitted, scratching his wrist. “That’s why we need to stay apart. We shouldn’t give them what they want.”

“I kind of agree.”

“But,” Sabo continued, “What happens when we get out of here is a different matter.”

“What do you mean?” For the first time, Marco looked confused.

“If Ace really loves you, I won’t be the one to stop him. Ace deserves everything.”

“He didn’t say he loves me,” Marco pointed out.

“No, he didn’t,” Sabo confirmed with a long breath. “But he made it clear I’m the one stopping him. And I don’t want, not even…” His hand grabbed his right wrist, trembling. “I hate all this. I hate this Soulmate bullshit.”

“That makes two of us,” Marco said gently. He placed one hand on Sabo’s knee, an affectionate gesture that made Sabo stiffen for a second, before he managed to relax. “But can I say something?”

“You’re already talking too much,” Sabo replied, but he didn’t stop Marco, nor did he moved from Marco’s hand.

“Forcing two people together just because they are Soulmates is bullshit,” Marco stated. “But, at the same time, forcing two people apart for the same reason is equally bad. And I’m not talking about Ace now.”

“I know,” Sabo commented, bitter. “I know very well, but it can’t be helped. Which is funny, because I could have liked you, I suppose.”

The bathroom’s door opened before they could add anything and Marco took his hand off. Ace came to the dinner room with only a towel around his hips, but noticed the tension between the other two.

“Did I miss something?” he asked, an eyebrow lifted.

Sabo’s eyes lingered for a second on the tattoo Ace had on his right hand as Ace rubbed his hair with a towel. Marked like animals. Sabo thought of it every time he saw one of them. But he had to admit Marco was right.

Sabo spent too much time listening to everything that went wrong with Soulmates that he forgot what could not happen. He forgot it wasn’t inevitable.

He stood up, passed in front of Marco and stopped at the kitchenette. “I made coffee for you too,” he said, as he poured the remainder of the coffee in a third cup. “And… I was thinking we should let Marco sleep with us. I’m not sure the sofa is as comfortable as it looks.”

“Are you sure?” Surprisingly enough, the question came from Marco and not Ace.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

***

“When will you and Sabo be back?”

Luffy had spent the last half hour talking about his weeks with his friends, so Ace didn’t expect that dangerous question, which turned off his laugh in a sorrowful smile.

“The doctor told us forty days, you know that.”

“But I miss you,” Luffy complained.

“We miss you too.” Ace’s smile softened. “You just have to be a little patient. And you have your friends with you, right? They can host you a little while.”

“Yeah, yeah… I’m so glad Gramps won’t be home until next week!”

That time, Ace laughed. He had to admit, he would be twice as worried knowing there was Garp taking care of Luffy instead of Luffy taking care of himself alone.

He ended the phone call with a sigh, then slumped down on the sofa between Marco and Sabo, who lifted his eyes from the book he was reading.

“He’ll survive even without us,” he commented. “He’s a lot more reliable than he looks.”

“I know.” Ace nodded. “But it felt wrong leaving him alone because of… this.” Ace moved his hand in front of him, pointing at the entire room.

Reminding them of their situation killed the conversation, so even Marco pretended he didn’t have anything to add, until Sabo decided the silence was too tense. He threw the book on the table where his feet were placed.

“I’m bored,” he announced.

“Did you finished studying?” Ace asked.

“It’s been days I haven’t done anything but study. Enough!”

Ace agreed with him. They asked for book so they wouldn’t fall behind the university lessons, but it became more and more insufferable doing it without some free time, some manual work or even some friends to study with.

“We should have asked for an Xbox,” he commented, nodding to the big television.

 “Do you think they’ll give us one?” Sabo’s eyes darted to the telephone on the shelter.

Ace shrugged. “Maybe not. Maybe they prefer we spend our time watching those stupid romantic films.” Which were, to their horror, the only things the television broadcasted.

Sabo faked vomiting, and Marco chuckled.

“You could cook something,” he proposed. “I still haven’t tasted your special cake.”

He smirked, and Ace shot him an amused look, remembering very well what had been inside that cake. “You’re really a jerk.”

“I just love danger,” Marco replied.

“By the way, that cake was Sabo’s idea, you know?”

Sabo, who was pretending to not know what the other two were talking about, coughed and then punched Ace on the arm.

“Oh, really?” Marco purred.

“What?” Sabo pouted. “You deserved it. Be happy I didn’t propose cyanide.”

“He wants to become a lawyer only because one day he’ll need one,” Ace commented with a smile.

Marco laughed. “I expected as much.”

“That’s not true. I’m doing it for Luffy too.”

And since Ace couldn’t argue back, knowing how much trouble their little brother could cause, he just nodded. “I’m happy I at least don’t have to pay you.”

“Oh, and here I was thinking you’re studying computer science only to hack some bank account so you can actually pay a lawyer.” Marco said it in a casual way, but he couldn’t hide the small smirk at the corner of his mouth.

“If I ever need defending after I kill you, I’m pretty sure every lawyer won’t accept money from me because they’ll understand,” Ace replied. He turned to Sabo. “Thinking back, we really should make that cake.”

Sabo shot a satisfied glare to Marco before standing up. “Absolutely!” He and Ace checked the kitchenette, grabbing cream cheese, butter, sugar, whipping creamy and biscuits.

“No strawberries,” Ace commented, a little bit disappointed.

“What about chocolate?” Marco placed his laptop next to the other ingredients on the dinner table, a webpage about a cheesecake recipe opened on the browser.

Sabo looked at it with a critical eye before nodding. “It’s missing the most important ingredient, the laxative, but we’ll manage.” He opened the cupboard and got a bar of dark chocolate.

“I apologize for that.” Marco smiled. “So, what can we do?”

Even Ace looked at Sabo, waiting for orders, so Sabo shook his head and crossed his arms. He muttered an ‘assholes’ before taking command of the kitchenette.

“Marco, mix the biscuit with butter and sugar and pressed it in the spring form cake tin. Ace, melt the chocolate. I’ll whip the cream.”

“Yessir!” Both Ace and Marco answered, amused, before starting to work.

When Ace turned the spoon in the already dark liquid in the pot, he looked around. Sabo sat down on the chair, the bowl in one of his hands as he whipped the cream. Marco gave him his back, but Ace could see his arms moving as he pressed the biscuits on the tray.

The atmosphere was so calm, so familiar, Ace almost forgot they were still prisoners of someone that probably was watching them in that exact moment. But it couldn’t be helped, since Sabo was still Sabo, especially now that he decided to give Marco a chance. And Marco… There was always something reassuring about him.

“Is the chocolate ready?” Sabo asked and Ace startled. “You burned it. Oh, you definitely burned it.”

“I didn’t,” Ace protested. He brought the pot to the table. “See?”

“Not bad,” Sabo admitted, with his usual smirk, so Ace kicked him.

Sabo stack out his tongue but their bickering stopped when Marco complained, “Sorry, but my biscuits are ready and waiting for you two to turn back into adults.”

“When were we adults?” Sabo asked Ace, who shrugged. They then added the melted chocolate with the cream and bended them together, before spreading the mixture on top of the crushed biscuits.

Ace watched, captivating, as Marco sucked his fingers that were dirty with crumbs, and as Sabo licked the chocolate off the spoon. He put it in the sink, and the cake in the fridge.

“An hour and its ready,” he announced, clapping his hands.

“You okay, Ace?” Marco asked. Sabo noticed how Ace was watching them in silence, and tilted his head, perplexed.

“Yes. Yes, it’s just… I’m hungry.” And he smiled as the other two laughed.

He couldn’t tell them that, for a second, he’d thought he would be okay living a simple life, making cake with them, laughing and being happy.

***

Marco woke up with a weight on his chest. He blinked, remembering he finally had the chance to sleep on something a lot more comfortable than the sofa. Despite being one of the richest men in the country, Marco wasn’t so adamant in having privileges, but he had to admit he missed the bed.

His gaze lowered, noticing Ace was sleeping on his chest. Both of Ace’s hands were bent, fists closed, as he used both them and Marco’s body as a pillow. His mouth was closed, his hair tied up, and he breathed slowly as he dreamed.

A quiet sound was very audible in the silence and darkness of the room; Marco turned around to see Sabo on his side, mouth open. He was snoring. Despite being a little far from Marco, his arms were spread so his fingers touched Marco’s hips. His blonde, curly hair surrounded his head, lighting his face.

Marco smiled. Looking at the two boys sleeping, he would have never thought about the situation they’re actually in. It was a good thing they still could sleep, when Marco could for only a few hours each night because he was too busy worrying about the situation.

If Pops hadn’t managed to get him back by now, there was the concrete possibility nobody could.

With that thought in his mind, and because of the dark room, Marco took some time to notice the little hill the covers formed. But, once he did, he immediately understood it was his penis.

His erect penis.

It was years since Marco had a morning erection. He wasn’t a kid, his hormones should be under control. The thought that he could be feeling something by looking at the two sleeping boys made him sick.

He managed to keep his emotions under control, so he gently pushed Ace away and carved his path to the end of the bed. Carefully, he left the bedroom.

The fake window, or at least what remained after Ace’s outburst, was still dark. Marco snorted. Despite being fake, they were doing a wonderful job in projecting aspects of a real window during day and night.

Marco didn’t turn the light on until he reached the bathroom; there, he lowered the pajamas pant, only to see what he knew was there. The best and fastest way to get rid of it would be to masturbate, but Marco had no intention to do so. Even thinking about someone else felt wrong.

So he got naked and turned on the water to the shower. He let the cold invade him, ignoring the shiver it caused, until his erection went away. Marco took a deep breath of relief, then turned the water hot just to warm himself. In the mid-darkness, he looked at the mirror and didn’t recognize himself.

He dried himself fast, then he put the pajamas back on, knowing he wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore. He wasn’t sure going back in bed where Ace and Sabo were was a good idea either.

But when he opened the door of the bedroom, he found the light on and the two boys looking at him with concerned look.

“Are you okay?” Ace asked.

“Yes… Yes, of course.” Marco realized they had heard him taking a shower in the middle of the night, so there was no point in lying. Not about everything, at least. “I woke up and couldn’t sleep anymore, so I planned to go back to work. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up too.”

Ace looked at him. “You should sleep more,” he said at last, as if it wasn’t the first sentence he was about to say.

“I know, but it’s an old habit of me.” Marco smiled lightly. “You can go back to bed, I’m fine.”

Ace nodded and, with a last look at Sabo, he headed back to the bedroom. Sabo was about to follow him but then, without notice, he grabbed Marco’s arm and pulled up the pajama’s sleeve to look at the skin. The sign of the injection they had the day they had been kidnapped had disappeared and the skin was clear.

Without another word, Sabo turned around and left Marco alone.

***

Working has never been an excuse, for Marco. He loved it, more because it was Pops’ company, so it didn’t feel like a nuisance. He had hobbies and he managed to keep them despite working hard.

But closed in that small room, the only thing he had to keep a distance between him and Ace and Sabo without them suspecting anything was wrong was his work. And, despite that, he knew they both felt something was off, so he had to be extra careful.

After a long breath, he pointed his head at the bedroom’s door. Sabo’s snoring was audible in the silence. It was time for Marco to get at least a couple of hours of sleep, even if he hadn’t any intention to do it in bed. He would sleep on the couch, as usual, and then lie to the boys making them believe they didn’t notice his presence.

Marco turned off his laptop and stood up to put it on the table. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and took a sip, drying his mouth with the back of his hand. Marco shivered. He noticed the temperature of the room was getting colder since he switched back to sleeping on the sofa. His solution was to wear more clothes.

He took a step forward, but he stopped as he felt some discomfort; his gaze lowered and the erection was there, pressing to his jeans. Marco looked at it, teeth gritted.

“Are you drugging me?” he asked, to no one. “Are you drugging me?” he repeated. His voice was low, as his fist clenched.

His gaze passed on the fridge, where the water bottle he’d just finished lay. The same bottle he used during the day, the same both Ace and Sabo used. Marco’s mind went back in time, thinking about what he could have ingested that the other two didn’t, but they both had eaten the same lunch and dinner, just in different amounts.

Marco looked then at his arms, but no injuries or signs of injection were there. No matter how much he searched, he couldn’t blame anyone but himself for the erection.

With small steps, he managed to reach the small shelf and grabbed the receiver. His trembling finger dialed the number and, as Marco heard the familiar voice of Pops, he felt relieved. Even if it was only the answering machine.

“Pops…” Marco whispered. It was years since he asked Pops anything, years since he decided he would be his right hand man. And it was years since he felt so miserable and helpless. “Please, get me out of here. I’m… I’m going crazy…”

***

The sound of someone calling his name woke Sabo up. He groaned inside: sleeping until late was one of the few positive things of the hole they’re closed in. He recognized Ace’s voice and groaned even more.

Until he realized there was something unnatural in his position and, even more unnatural, he couldn’t move from it. He opened his eyes.

“About time, sleeping beauty,” Ace commented.

Sabo lifted his head in his direction and blinked. Ace sat on one of the pillows, arms behind his back, back against the headboard. Red ropes crossed his chest, underlining the muscle of his bare body. His legs were bended by ropes that bound together calves and thighs, spread open by other ropes that disappeared behind his back.

Sabo opened his mouth, then closed it, feeling the rough ropes on his skin too. His position was different from Ace, as his legs were bended behind his back, with some ropes that connected his ankles with his wrists, which were tied up against his back.

“Is this some kind of a joke?” he spat.

“I wish it was,” Ace commented, with a sigh. “I woke up trussed like this. I tried to wake you up ever since.” He shrugged a little and the headboard trembled. “These damn ropes are though and I’m blocked here. Can you come closer? I can loosen your knots with my feet.”

Sabo tested the ropes: his position didn’t make it easy to move, even if he wasn’t bound to any object. “Maybe if I crawl…” He moved his hips to push himself forwards. “I’m gonna kill whoever did this,” he commented, his breath hard as he realized he moved only an inch from his starting point.

“Wait your turn,” Ace replied, annoyed, as he fought against the ropes.

“Where’s Marco?” Sabo asked, realizing only in that moment he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Do you think this is his doing?” There was skepticism in Ace’s voice, but his gaze turned to the closed door of the bedroom.

“Well…” Sabo couldn’t say. Marco was a decent person. Still… “It’s not like there’s another person in here.”

“Somebody put us here the first time, somebody could…”

Ace’s voice trailed off, and Sabo shivered. He wasn’t sure what he preferred: to discover Marco was kind of a pervert, or that some stranger from outside touched him when he was asleep.

“Let’s get free and find out,” he stated.

He advanced another inch and paused to recover his breath. In that moment, the door open and a very naked Marco appeared in the room.

“Marco!” Ace’s voice was high, relieved. But a second later the realization Marco was the only one free hit him and a shadow of doubt passed over his face. “What happened? I hope you have a really good explanation for all this.”

Marco didn’t answer, he looked at them with his head tilted to one side.

“Marco…?”

“He’s high.” Sabo could tell by Marco’s eyes, which were glazed, with bigger pupils. Even his movements were slower, arms hanging at his sides, mouth half open.

“What? How?”

“No idea.”

Or better, Sabo had a hypothesis, but he was so disgusted by it he couldn’t formulate it in words. They were guinea pigs. An experiment. Giving drugs to guinea pigs was pretty common. And since the experiment was about Soulmates relationship…

Marco moved forwards and sat down on the bed next to Sabo, who gritted his teeth as Marco placed his hand on Sabo’s hip and pushed. Sabo found himself falling down on this right side, his torso and his groin fully exposed to Marco’s blank stare.

He didn’t move, he held his breath. In contrast, he felt the bed tremble as Ace struggled against the rope.

“Marco! Marco, no! Stop right now.”

Marco ignored his yell, his gaze fixed on Sabo’s body. His hand slipped from the side, his pointer finger touched Sabo’s neck gently where the point of his scar began. The finger followed it to his chest, rubbing the profile of the scar that covered Sabo’s body. Sabo shivered, as few people had touched it in the past, and then swallowed as the finger drew near his belly.

“Marco, please…” Ace begged.

Marco’s finger stopped around Sabo’s bellybutton, as his breath became lower. Suddenly, his other hand, the one that until that moment was at his side, slammed on the bed, fist closed. Marco’s eyes were still on Sabo, as he kept slamming and gritting his teeth.

“You don’t want this,” Sabo commented. With a movement of his hips, he managed to return back in the initial position, and Marco’s hand retreated from his belly.

“Marco,” Sabo called, his voice high but firm. “There is a rope between my ankles and wrists. Take it off.”

For a second, Marco tilted his head to one side, blinked. Then he moved a little forwards and his fingers worked at the ropes. Sabo could feel the touch on his back. The movements were still unsure, slow, but in the end Sabo noticed the tension of the rope slacken. He pushed his legs forwards and the remaining knot loosened. Free to move at least his legs, even if his ankles were still bounded, Sabo stepped back, against the headboard and next to Ace.

“Do you think he can understand us?” Ace asked, as he began to breathe again.

“He’s fighting, that’s for sure,” Sabo replied, as he kept his heart under control.

“What drugs did he take? Or… they made him take,” Ace corrected himself, showing he understood the situation.

“It could be… M-5,” Sabo guessed. “It’s a drug used by terrorists. It cuts off any emotional restraints, so one can do things without thinking. Doing things he wouldn’t do normally.”

“So they think Marco would…” Ace shook his head. “Marco wouldn’t forgive himself.”

“They think it’s not rape if it is between Soulmates.” Sabo snorted.

“Marco doesn’t agree.”

“That’s probably why they tied us up,” Sabo commented.

His gaze returned on Marco, who hadn’t moved from his spot, only looked at them and blinked. From time to time, his hand smashed against the bed. Sabo leaned his legs forwards and placed his feet against Marco’s chest.

“Marco. There’s another knot. Loose it.”

Marco looked at Sabo’s feet with curiosity. He grabbed them to move them from his chest and then thumbed the sole. Sabo bit his lip to not struggle from the tickling feeling, and luckily Marco’s attention moved to the knot.

As soon as Sabo felt his ankles were free enough he pulled them away and moved until he shoved off the ropes. Then he jumped off the bed, even if his arms were still forced against his back. He looked at Ace.

“There’s knifes in the kitchen,” Ace said. “You could manage to cut the ropes and then come back to free me.”

But Sabo’s gaze passed to Marco and he realized he couldn’t leave him alone with Ace in the room. Sabo couldn’t tell how much time he would require to get free from the ropes and, despite the fact Marco was able to restrain himself until now, there was still a chance the drug would get him sooner or later.

The situation was too risky, since Ace’s movements were blocked by him being tied to the headboard. Sabo wouldn’t let Ace or Marco faced the situation alone. So he sighed and sat down in front of Marco, back pressed against his chest.

“The last knots, Marco. Please.”

This time, Marco’s hand moved immediately to the ropes, but there were many knots, since all Sabo’s chest was crossed by them, and Marco’s fingers weren’t still. From time to time, Marco slammed his hand on the bed, to keep focused.

Sabo swallowed as he felt Marco’s erection against the skin of his back. He stayed still, so he wouldn’t accidentally rub it, but Marco panted more and more as he worked on the knots. Sabo heard his raging heartbeat and hoped they would make it in time before the pumped blood would make Marco lose the last restraint he had.

As soon as the last knot loosened, Sabo pulled himself away, his hands struggling to break free. He took the ropes off of his chest and reached for Ace, whose eyes widened now that Marco’s erection was in his sight. Sabo freed his arms, then finished the knots of the legs.

Ace stretched to regain the circulation in his body, then looked at Marco. He was mortified as he kept his gaze low on his penis. He turned his gaze to Sabo.

“Coffee?”

“Coffee.”

***

His head buzzed as Marco slowly opened his eyes. He felt the hardness of the sofa where he sat and when he lifted his gaze, the blurry figures of Ace and Sabo were standing in front of him. For a second, he thought they were angry because he lied to them about sleeping on the couch again, but as he woke up better, he saw their concerned looks.

Ace leaned forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Confused,” Marco admitted. He tightened the blanket that covered him entirely. He hadn’t had one the night before. “I probably feel asleep while I was working.”

Sabo was skeptical. “What is the last thing you remember?”

“Not sure.” Marco rubbed his eyes, wondering what could have happened to make them so worried. Then, he recalled his erection, and his call to Pops for help. His memory became foggy after that, he was sure he returned to work, or to sleep… And he swallowed. “I had a strange dream…” Not something he could tell, though.

Ace snorted and Sabo crossed his arms. Marco blinked. In that moment, he realized he was naked under the blanket.

“It wasn’t a dream,” he understood, pale.

“Not at all,” Sabo confirmed. “Is there something else you remember? Like if you’re the one who tied us up, or someone entering in the room…”

Marco shook his head. “No… No, I’m not sure what I dreamt and what was real.” He covered this face. “I’m so sorry…”

“It wasn’t your fault, you were drugged.” Ace’s hand was still on his shoulder. “You weren’t yourself.”

“Did I… Did I do…?”

“No. You just… touched Sabo’s scar.”

Marco’s gaze went immediately to Sabo, who scoffed. “It’s okay, don’t worry,” he commented, before Marco had any chance to speak.

Even if Marco nodded, he didn’t feel like everything was ‘okay’. His erections went back to the night before and he had the sensation they were the reason someone decided to go a little bit far with them. Still, he could justify it thinking the erections were provoked by some drugs too.

“I don’t know how they could drug me,” he commented. “I eat what you eat and use the same products.”

Ace and Sabo sat down next to him. Marco could get what they’re thinking: the idea of being drugged from the outside and then being touched or trussed up by someone who entered in the room as they slept was scary.

“We must get out of here,” Sabo stated, rubbing his right wrist.

“How?” Ace asked.

Sabo shook his head. “Okay, first… Let’s give Marco some time to recover and then we can try to find at least a solution to… protect ourselves.”

“I’ll make breakfast.” Ace nodded.

As they left him, Marco got up. He grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe and then took a shower to wake up entirely.

He still had problems believing what had happened the night before, especially because he didn’t remember well. If it was only himself, he could have suggested to be the one tied up at night, but if it was someone else, he had no idea how to protect Ace and Sabo from himself.

When he returned back in the dining hall, he found his laptop still turned on. He checked it: there was an e-mail from Pops, but with nothing related to his last, desperate call. Marco wondered if it was the call which was blocked, or Pops’ e-mail.

In doubt, he wrote down a small, innocent answer, but also the last method he had to make Pops know what was happening.

“I’m okay, Pops, thank you. Can you do a favor for me? Take a look at my sweaters in the wardrobe, I was supposing to give away the older ones.”

***

His experiment was proceeding slowly, but successfully, or so Caesar thought. For most people it would be annoying spending days and days just observing the behavior of three people in captivity, but not for Caesar.

The government had managed to build its hegemony about people having only one Soulmate, but Caesar, as a member of the Scientific Department, knew things weren’t that simple. He wondered if the human species had something more to offer.

And he would be the one to discover it. Not Vegapunk, but him.

His last decision was a little over the top, but it had got some results. There were no doubts anymore his older subject felt a lot about the younger ones and that only proved Caesar’s theory about having more Soulmates, as long it was only one person.

The situation had made the guinea pigs a little wary, but they also were forced to collaborate even more than before, which was a good result. Caesar couldn’t wait to see what would be the outcome.

So he, as every morning, was drinking his tea and looking at the multi-screen system when the door of his laboratory opened and Sengoku, along with Akainu and some other members of the Security Department, marched inside.

Caesar’s first reaction was panic. His gaze passed from the screen to Sengoku, frantic, as one of his hands squeezed the arm of his armchair, anchoring him one the spot. Around him, all his fellow employees stopped working and were looking at Sengoku, waiting for orders.

Sengoku stopped in front of him: his impassive face looked at Caesar’s panicked one, then his gaze turned to the multi-screen system. He lingered on the screen for a second, as Marco Newgate was washing dishes in the sink, then he returned to Caesar.

He sighed. “What was in your mind?”

Caesar’s mouth was dry, but he still tried to defend himself. “I understand this is unconventional, but-”

“This is illegal,” Sengoku interrupted him. “You know the procedure with anomalies. Instead, you took for yourself an authority you don’t have and created this experiment, which has no jurisdiction.”

“None of you would have allowed it!” Caesar cried. “But I’m working for a greater good. They… Those guys cheated the system, so I had no other choice!”

“The only greater good you’re working for is yours,” Sengoku affirmed, before turning his back on him. “Everybody, out. Y0u’ll be escorted to the Security Department for verification.”

They didn’t hesitate, even if their faces showed worry. They stood up from their desks, following the soldiers outside the laboratories, until only Caesar was left. Caesar looked at each one of them, receiving only perplexed or hateful gazes.

“Traitors,” he muttered under his breath.

“They could be accomplices,” Akainu commented, once the last one of the employees had left. “We can’t afford any of this become public.”

“Of course not,” Sengoku agreed. “But it’s also possible Doctor Caesar didn’t specify their operation was illegal. We’ll decide their punishment as soon as we verify all the circumstances.”

“How did you find me?” Caesar asked. He hadn’t move from his chair, both hands now gripped on the armchair.

“You think you’re so smart, but you don’t even pay attention to little details.” Sengoku didn’t even turn to look at him as he spoke. “One of the men you abducted is the General Manager of the Whitebeard Corporation.”

“I know that!” Caesar yelled. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him since the beginning, preventing him from protesting with the Defense Department…”

“And the other one is the grandson of Vice Chairman Monkey D. Garp,” Sengoku continued, his gaze always on Akainu.

“What…?” Caesar sank in the armchair.

“You were lucky Garp was outside the country until a few days ago, or your experiment wouldn’t have lasted this long. Garp came to me as soon as he found out about your excuse to keep his grandson.” Sengoku didn’t give Caesar a last look, as he concluded, “You’re not as smart as you think. You’re under arrest for treason, Vice Chairman Akainu will escort you from now.”

Akainu nodded. “What about the three… casualties?”

“We have no choice,” Sengoku murmured with a last look at the still functioning screens. “Erase them.”

***

Ace shook Marco’s shoulder gently to wake him up.

“Good morning,” he greeted him, with a smile. “We let you sleep a little more today.”

Marco blinked: the fake window showed the light of the middle morning. Sabo was making coffee, and Ace smiled as the smell filled the room.

After the ‘accident’, Marco preferred to be keep under control, as much as he could, so Ace was freeing him from the last ropes and that was the reason why he noticed a white mark on Marco’s forearm. At first, it might be only a shadow of the light, but, looking closer, the borders were too definite. And the color was so white it stood up even in a light skin.

Marco, who had put the computer next to him on the sofa, turned his gaze to his arm. He froze. Sabo came near to look and his eyes grow bigger.

“Is it…?”

“The Amber Lead Disease,” Marco confirmed, licking his lips. “This is the first symptom.”

The three of them looked at each other, the panic they’d felt the first day surfacing again. Then Marco stood up and hurried in the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

“Marco!” Ace followed him, smashing his fist against the door. “What are you doing?”

“Do you remember what they said to us the first day?” Marco replied, his voice loud enough near the door to be perfectly audible. “This is a disease contagious by air.”

“We spent almost four weeks together,” Ace replied. “It’s too late for that.”

“Maybe. But I’m keep my distance until someone will come to check on me.”

“They won’t.” Sabo was the only one who didn’t move, still paralyzed in the same spot near the sofa. His breath was hard, his arms resting at his sides.

Ace turned to him. “You said the disease doesn’t exist,” he commented, his voice low, each word spat out. “You said we’re here only because we’re Soulmates.”

“That’s true,” Sabo answered. “They’re done with us and now they’re killing us.” His eyes fixed on Ace’s face. “They can’t let us go after all, so they’re using the same excuse they had to keep us here.”

Ace turned his head again to the bathroom’s door. Marco didn’t comment, but his breath came fast, worried. “They won’t. They won’t.”

He marched towards the desk and picked up the receiver. A second later, he threw it away, realizing it lacked the usual register voice that allowed them to connect with the outside world.

“Internet doesn’t work too,” Sabo informed him, after checking on Marco’s laptop. He slumped down on the sofa, covering his face with both arms. “We’re trapped and we’re dying,” he whispered.

“I won’t allow it,” Ace said.

His gaze passed on the broken window, where the iron wall looked impenetrable. He grabbed one of the chairs from the table and moved towards the metal door next to the kitchenette. His hand firmly gripping the back of the chair, he smashed it against the door.

He hit and hit, until both of the frontal metal legs of the chair bent and broke, flinging across the small room. Still, Ace didn’t stop, ignoring his tired arms. At some point, he stopped feeling them.

In the end the chair broke and Ace threw away the piece in his hands, hitting the desk and telephone which fell on the ground and blew up in pieces. Knowing he couldn’t stop, because otherwise the fatigue would set in. Ace was reaching for another chair when he heard some sounds from outside the metal door.

He stopped. Sabo jumped still, both of them waiting and keeping their breath.

“If someone is in there, please stay away from the frontal door,” a metallic voice said. “Find something to hide behind, in five, four…”

Sabo grabbed Ace’s arm and dragged him inside the bedroom, just before the sound of an explosion filled the otherwise silent room. Smoke followed after, and Ace coughed but still tilted his head to check the situation.

The metal door was pushed away from its place and now it lay down on the ground. A group of men entered the room: they were all dressed in black suits that covered everything and their faces were protected by helmets. They all looked the same, except for one with a helmet with bunny ears.

They were all armed with guns; for an instant Ace feared they would kill them, so he looked around searching for a weapon to defend himself. But Sabo moved towards them without hesitation, so Ace followed him.

“We don’t have much time,” the bunny man affirmed. From his pocket he grabbed two surgical masks and handed them to Sabo. “Put them on, as a precaution if you’re being infected, then followed us.”

While Sabo obeyed once his mouth and nose were covered by the green mask, two men pushing him gently towards the now open door, Ace hesitated. His gaze moved to the bathroom as another one of the armed men grabbed his arm to move him.

“Marco is still inside!” Ace protested. “You have to take him, he’s in danger.” He struggled as they forced him to wear the mask and dragged him away.

“They’ll help Marco too!” Sabo screamed, and Ace moved his head to him. “Do what they say! You trust me, don’t you?” Ace managed a last look at Sabo’s determined look, as they were moved outside the room.

“Please, help him,” Ace murmured. As he followed the men, his gaze was still on the bathroom’s door, realizing it was opened slightly. The bunny man and some others remained behind.

Ace couldn’t fully trust the men, but he needed to have faith in his brother’s convictions. Hoping they wouldn’t kill Marco as soon as they noticed he was infected, he kept following them down the hallway. They retraced the same path they had used to go inside, so almost all the doors were opened.

The alarm still rang in hallways, but it wasn’t enough to cover the sound of the gunshots every time they met some guards. Ace startled every time, but refused to see the bodies they left behind, even if he noticed the men aimed for the legs, not for a kill. Not that Ace minded in that moment: it was his own, Sabo’s and Marco’s life on the line.

They managed to get outside; after so many days inside, feeling the fresh air and the dim light of the sun on his skin left Ace paralyzed. But he was soon pushed inside of an armored car. He sat down on one of the benches, two of the men at either side.

Sabo sat down on the opposite side; he looked at Ace and nodded, before resting a hand to touch Ace’s knee. His gaze was still determinate, but his fingers trembled a little, Ace noticed.

“Will Marco be okay?” Ace asked.

“We have to wait until a doctor checks him,” Sabo admitted, lowering his gaze.

“Where are we going? And who are these people?”

Ace’s question was directed towards Sabo but, surprisingly, it was one of the men that answered him, at least partially. “For now, we need to lose the Government’s soldiers. Only then we can reach a safe spot where you can take a breath and I can explain.”

Since he thought of something, Ace was about to open his mouth again, but the van stopped and the situation became tense again. They found themselves in a multistory parking lot and following the men’s instructions at the nearest lift. They went a floor higher, where a car was waiting for them.

Ace and Sabo took their place in the backseat; the driver and the other person in the front seat weren’t covered and armed like the previous men, but Ace couldn’t tell who they were because of the giant hat and sunglasses they wore.

The windows in the back were grey, so Ace couldn’t see much but the brief view from the front window. He got that the parking lot they had left was in the middle town near the quarter of Enies Lobby and now they’re directed towards the suburbs.

The car took a small street on the left and stopped in front of a closed club. The driver opened the car door and looked around. Once he was assured nobody was there, he opened the other door and took Ace’s arm. Ace let himself be dragged inside the closed club, opened a trapdoor in the center of the stage and climbed down the stairs.

Ace stopped only when he noticed they were about to split him and Sabo up. Sabo was looking at him too and nodded, just before being hurried in the opposite direction, so Ace trusted him again and followed the driver.

They reached an empty small room at the end of a dark hallway containing a sort of transparent plastic tent, with a stretcher and another medical machine inside. A man with a radiation suit was waiting outside.

“We kept the surgical mask on the whole time and I touch him only with gloves,” the driver explained, once he pushed Ace inside the tent and then made sure the two borders were closed again. Only then Ace noticed the tent was fully-sealed, with tubes of air for circulation.

“From one prison to another,” Ace commented bitterly.

The man with the radiation suit was the first one to show his face, even behind a glass helmet, and he smiled.

“I apologize about all this, but until were sure about your disease, we need to take all the precautions.”

“I understand,” Ace admitted.

The man turned to the driver. “Please, go to the med lab, they’ll give you instruction about what to do. I’ll meet you there.” The driver nodded and left, so the man focused his attention back to Ace. “Please, sit down,” he said, as he grabbed a syringe.

Ace obeyed, but looked at the man with suspicion.

“I need to take a blood sample so we can analyze it to confirm if you’re ill or not,” the man explained.

“Are you sure?” Ace commented, with a sigh.

He was worried about Marco, and about Sabo, but his brain told him the man in front of him was right. And he was definitely acting in a professional way, different from how the Government had been before. So he lent his right arm and let the man take the blood sample and look at his body searching for white marks.

“We can’t be sure until we examined the blood, but I’m pretty positive you’re not infected,” the man said. “I hope to be back with good news soon.” He then left the tent and, as the driver before, he checked it was perfectly closed before moving towards the hallway.

Again, Ace was left trapped in a small space, with no natural light or air. And Marco and Sabo were outside his reach. This time, though, he could tear apart the transparent plastic tent and escape. Ace’s gaze lingered on the black hallway, asking himself if it was better to wait for the doctor or to escape while he could.

He moved from the stretcher and grabbed the tent where the man had exited a few minutes ago. There was a zipper which started from the ground and it could be opened both from the inside and outside. Ace was about to open it, when he heard steps coming from the hallway, so he moved back.

“Koala…?” he exhaled, once the figure was in front of the tent, lightened by the artificial lamps.

She smiled, apologetic. “I was told you have a lot of questions and I guess you can trust the answers if they come from me.” She tilted her head. “Am I wrong?”

“I’m not sure what I should believe anymore,” Ace admitted. “You’re the last person I was expecting to see here.”

“I’ll be the first once you understand everything,” she laughed. “Shall we start?”

Ace nodded. “Where are Sabo and Marco? Are they okay?”

“Sabo is in a room pretty similar to yours, waiting for the same test sample,” Koala answered. “Marco’s situation is… worse. He’s here too,” she hurried to specify, as Ace’s eyes bulged. “But he was infected by the Amber Lead Syndrome. Our doctors are doing their best to find out which stage of the disease he has and how to cure him.”

“Do you think he’ll make it?”

“We have the best doctors and we’ll do everything, possible and impossible,” Koala assured him.

“We… Who are you exactly?”

Koala smiled, proud. “The Revolutionary Army.”

“The revolutionary… Of course!” Ace shook his head, cursing himself. “Of course! And of course you’re one of them, given what happened to you…” Ace’s voice trailed off and he returned his gaze to Koala. “Sorry, Sabo told me once but I’m pretty sure you don’t like to speak about it.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not ashamed anymore. It wasn’t my fault and it was what made me as I am today,” Koala assured him.

Ace took a deep breath. The _Soulmate System_ damaged most people he knew and cared about, so frankly he couldn’t blame anyone who’d like to fight it.

“Sabo is one of you, isn’t he?”

“Yes.”

Ace turned around and breathed hard. He moved and placed his hand on the stretcher.

“He couldn’t tell you,” Koala added, her voice a little higher. “What we do every day is illegal and we have to protect ourselves. The Government is tracking us down because we’re a threat, so we can’t drag our families with us…”

“I know. I know.”

But Ace’s mind returned back to their escape, to the armed men who had shoot the Government Guards, and wondered how much danger his brother had faced in the last years without Ace knowing.

“Get some rest,” Koala suggested. “You’re free now. I’ll come back with good news soon.”

Ace took her advice and lay down on the stretcher, his arms covering his face. He didn’t feel free, nor could he sleep peacefully, not until he could be sure Marco and Sabo were safe. He didn’t even care about his own analysis results anymore.

Still, the silence made Ace doze off a little, until he heard the steps again. He jumped up and reached for the end of the tent. Koala smiled at him as she appeared from the hallway. At first, she didn’t say anything, but she bent down and opened the zipper of the tent.

“You’re not infected, and neither is Sabo,” she announced, and Ace let out the breath he didn’t notice he had held. “Probably the Government infected only Mister Newgate, hoping it would spread to you two too.”

“Can I see him?”

“Sure. Follow me.”

They returned back to the end of the hidden stairs, then took a different hallway. The tent Sabo was in was similar to Ace’s, no surprise, but it was already open. Sabo sat down on the stretcher, his right arm placed on a little tray. He was bleeding, a doctor was using a scalpel inside his wrist.

“Is everything good?” Ace asked immediately.

Sabo lifted his head and smiled, then followed Ace’s gaze to his bleeding wrist.

“Yes, it’s just…” he immediately assured Ace, but stopped as the doctor lifted the pliers in the air, extracting from Sabo’s wrist a small rectangular black thing.

“It’s out,” the doctor affirmed, placing the thing inside a plastic can. “I’m patching you up.”

“That… thing was inside you?” Ace commented, a frown on his face. “What was that?”

“A tracker.” Sabo let the new information sink, then continued, “After what happened to me and Marco just after my Soulmate Registration, Dragon… I mean, the head of the Revolutionary Army, feared I could be in danger, so he placed the tracker in me. Well, he wasn’t wrong, was he?” He smirked.

Ace swallowed. “You had that thing for the entire time?” he asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “They knew we were kept prisoner this entire time?” His finger pointed to Koala, who startled. “And they waited? They waited and now Marco is risking his life because of it! Why the hell did you wait?”

“It’s a tracker, not a walkie,” Sabo explained, his lips trembling. “I couldn’t communicate with them, they could only listen and follow my position… And I needed to make sure the Government didn’t find out otherwise we would have lost the only way to be saved…”

“You still didn’t explain to me why you waited,” Ace grumbled. “Give me a good reason why they waited.”

“Stay put,” the doctor, who was bandaging Sabo’s arm, ordered, since Sabo was leaning towards Ace. “And you, young boy, stay calm. We’re here for something greater than you and me.”

Ace breathed hard. “If Marco dies, it’s on you. And now I want to see him.”

“Ace, please…” Sabo grabbed his arm, but Ace pulled away. Koala, with a worried look, moved away, but before Ace took a step, Dragon’s figure appeared at the end of the hallway. Ace saw him only in some photos from the paper, so having the real man froze Ace for a while, but he was quick to recover.

“Move.”

Dragon kept his face straight. “I understand you, and you’re right,” he said. “It’s my fault we waited for so long, for my selfish reasons. So be angry at me if you need to, but you have to trust that we’re doing everything to save Mister Newgate.”

“Will he make it?” Ace’s anger was still there, but was shaded a little by the thought of Marco.

“I hope so,” Dragon said. “We’re here to save people, not to condemn them.” He moved forward and reached Sabo’s stretcher. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Sabo assured him. His wrist was now bandaged and only a small red stain emerged in the white. “I took some anesthetic so I’ll be okay.”

Dragon nodded. His gaze passed towards the small tray, where the pot with the wire was, and he took it and put it in his pocket.

“You should go in the dinner hall and eat something,” Dragon said, and it wasn’t a suggestion.

Ace snorted, but Sabo left the stretcher and moved towards the hallway. He smiled at Koala, then moved his gaze to Ace, who sighed and followed him. They walked side by side in silence until they reached the dinner hall. Nobody was there, but on one of the large tables were two trays full of food.

Only then Ace remembered he didn’t have breakfast and, with the adrenaline of the escape dissipating, he admitted he was hungry. So he sat down and stuffed his mouth with as much as he could. With one eye he saw Sabo sit in front of him and eat slower, his gaze not moving from Ace.

“I think…”

Ace interrupted him. “I’m sorry, okay? About my outburst. I know… I know it’s not your fault.”

“Maybe not, but I guessed Dragon would like to gather as much information as possible to use it against the Government,” Sabo admitted. “So it is true they waited until the last moment.”

“But, on the other hand, they saved us,” Ace commented. “And I’m not sure it was easy to prepare an assault on a Government facility or whatever place they kept us in.”

“Sure not.” Sabo’s gaze was low, but he reached for Ace’s arm and grabbed it. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I couldn’t.”

“Yeah, I know. But I should have figured it out before. Somehow… it fits you.” Ace’s finger lingered on Sabo’s bandage. “Did it hurt?”

“No. Don’t worry.”

“Have you ever killed someone?”

“I’m not a terrorist,” Sabo replied, and this time he was outraged. “Don’t believe what the Government says about us. We have to fight, but we try to not kill anyone.”

“Sorry. I just… was worried that I don’t know you as well as I thought.” Ace smiled barely.

“You _do_ know me very well,” Sabo assured him, as the grip on his arm tightened.

“Sure. That’s why I’m worried you’ll do something dangerous sooner or later.”

Sabo laughed. “Now you’re mistaking me for Luffy!”

Hearing his brother’s name made Ace smile. “Do you think we can contact him from here?”

“From this base, we can’t make calls to unsafe lines, but we can ask Koala to bring a message to him.” Sabo grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it in his mouth, then he spoke again, spreading crumbs around. “Let’s ask her.”

Sabo still had his hand in Ace’s and his fingers rubbed the Soulmate Tattoo. Ace shivered a little, as he followed him. Sabo let him go, but didn’t stop or turn around. Instead he said, “You know, here I’m fighting for freedom. The freedom for people to choose who they love despite having a tattoo or not. So please Ace, forget that tattoo and just follow your heart.”

***

“Still no news about us,” Ace commented, as he passed one finger over the pages of the newspaper.

“I’m not surprised,” Sabo replied. “The Government was very careful about what they did to us, so speaking about the Revolutionary Army would reveal their mistakes too.”

“I wonder if we can have a normal life from now on.”

Sabo didn’t answer, so Ace didn’t press. His eyes turned back to the newspaper, and they both sat in silence at one of the dinner tables. Other revolutionaries were around, but Ace had gotten used to it; besides, they didn’t pay attention to Ace.

“Ace? Sabo?” Both boys lifted their head at the sound of the voice to see one of the doctors in front of their table. “I’m proud to inform you Mister Newgate can receive people now, if you’d like.”

“Really?” Ace’s lips stretched in a smile.

“The disease stopped being contagious two days after our treatment, but I decided to wait one more day just to be sure,” the doctor confirmed. “He still needs some rest, but now he’s out of danger.”

With a relieved sigh, Ace stood up, his head turned to Sabo who nodded.

“Go. Dragon wants to talk to me.”

Maybe it was an excuse, but Ace didn’t ask. “Thank you, Doctor,” he said, as he followed him out of the dinner hall.

The room where Marco had spent the last days was similar to the one Ace and Sabo were brought at the beginning. Marco lay on the stretcher, but none of the cables from the medical machine were connected to his body. He was pale, but his breath was regular and the white stain on the arm was covered by a strict bandage.

His eyes were closed, but he opened them as he heard the steps. With his head still on the pillow, he turned around and his mouth opened a little as he saw Ace, then he smiled.

“I thought you’re well enough to have visitors,” the doctor said.

“Yes, I’m good,” Marco confirmed.

He used his arms to push himself up on the mattress and sit up a little better, with the back on the pillow, as the doctor leave them alone. Ace took two steps forward and stopped in front of the stretcher.

“Are you okay?” Ace murmured. His fingers played with themselves, but his arm remained at his side.

Marco nodded. “The doctor told me the first five days the disease is not fatal.” He touched his bandage arm. “The only thing left is the stain, but I’m threatening it too.” He smiled. “You’re not thinking it’s your fault, are you?”

Ace hesitated a little, so Marco sighed. But before he could add more, Ace’s lips were on his own, kissing him. Despite being unsure himself, Ace lifted his arms to grab Marco’s shirt, his eyes closed. He relaxed only when he felt Marco answer his kiss, as his hand rubbed Ace’s back and drew him near.

Even when they stopped, they didn’t move away from one another. Their breath mixed together and tickled their skin.

“Sorry,” Ace murmured.

Marco chuckled, then he hugged him, one hand rubbing his hair and the other one pressed on Ace’s back.

“I don’t think anything was your fault,” Marco said. “But I wouldn’t care either way, because I’m just happy to have met you.”

Ace swallowed, and nodded slightly, but after a sigh, he moved away. He sat down on the stretcher; Marco managed to grab one of his hands and held it.

“Have you spoken with Whitebeard?” Ace asked.

“Not in person,” Marco answered. “But I sent him a message through the revolutionaries. I miss my family,” he admitted.

Ace tightened his grip on Marco’s hand. The revolutionaries hadn’t spoken about the future, so Ace wondered if they would become wanted men or something like that. He trusted Sabo, but he felt even he knew very little about what could happen.

“Did they tell you anything?”

“Enough.” Marco closed his eyes. “I heard about the revolutionaries, of course, and I understand their cause, but I never imagined I would be saved by them. Or that I would need saving.”

“Me neither,” Ace admitted. “But I should have suspected it with Sabo. I mean, it’s Sabo.”

“Yeah, somehow it seems just right,” Marco commented. Then he lifted an eyebrow, and Ace blinked. “Are you angry?”

“No. No,” Ace answered, fast. “I was, though… When I found out about Sabo’s tracker. But the truth is that I don’t know much about the revolutionaries and Sabo’s role, so I can’t judge.”

“I don’t know much either,” Marco murmured. “But I’m pretty sure I know something: Sabo cares about you, whatever happens, and you know it.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ace confirmed.

“And, apparently, even your body knows it.”

Ace blinked, then raised an eyebrow, perplex. Marco chuckled; he rubbed the back of Ace’s right hand. Ace saw Marco’s thumb touching the tattoo, but it didn’t feel strange, until Ace realized it was the wrong hand.

Suddenly, as if it was bitten by a snake, Ace pulled back the hand to take a closer look. On the left hand, he had a tattoo with Marco’s name. On the right one, appeared a new tattoo.

With Sabo’s.

“This is impossible,” Ace whispered.

“I thought the same when I saw my second Soulmate Tattoo,” Marco commented.

“Yes, but… You met Sabo for the first time. It makes sense… sort of,” Ace rebutted. “I’ve known Sabo for _years_.”

“Sabo once told me there’s a lot of different situations with Soulmates that the Government keeps secret,” Marco stated. “I guess he knows because of his work with the revolutionaries. Still, he’s right. We have no idea what Soulmates really are.”

“What do you mean?”

“That you can give your new tattoo the meaning you prefer.”

Ace nodded; he realized he had jumped down the stretcher caught by the new discovery, but he didn’t move back. He kept looking at the back of his right hand. He found he didn’t mind having his brother’s name on his skin.

“Hey…”

Sabo moved the transparent plastic away from the tent and entered the small space of Marco’s room.

Ace smiled at him, but hid both hands behind his back. He didn’t miss the look Marco gave him, but pretended to.

“How are you?” Sabo asked Marco.

“I’m good.”

“I’m glad.” Sabo nodded, then sighed. “I spoke with Dragon. It seems our kidnapping wasn’t an official operation of the Government, but the idea of a member of the Scientific Department.”

“It means the Government won’t take responsibility for it,” Marco stated, with a bitter snort. “We should have expected it.”

Ace shrugged. “I don’t really care, as long as we’re safe.”

“About that…” Sabo hesitated. His gaze passed between the other two, then lowered. “I have a request.”

He waited, but Ace and Marco didn’t speak, so he sighed. “I’d like your permission to make our story public.”

“Why?” Ace asked, crossing his arms. “You just said it wasn’t something the Government organized.”

“For years the revolutionaries collected a lot of documents and testimonies about Soulmates,” Sabo exclaimed. “Evidences it’s not as simple as the Government made us believe for centuries. People with more Soulmates, Soulmates who don’t coincide, people without Soulmates. But until now the Government managed to destroy all the people who are living proof of this.”

“And here we are,” Marco guessed.

“Yes. This is the first time we have people who are different, who can show the public that anomalies exist.” Sabo’s words came faster, excited. “The _Soulmate System_ is unjust and we proved it many times, but finally we can prove also it is based on nothing.”

“But will they believe us?”

Sabo shook his head. “No. Not at all,” he admitted. “It will only be the first step, the first seed of doubt. The Government is still strong, it might take years… Maybe we won’t live to see it.”

“Then…” Ace began, but stopped as Sabo lifted his head.

“That’s the reason I’m asking you. Revealing we’re anomalies will make us outcasts. Most people, if we’re lucky, will believe we’re just some cheaters. Others will despise us because we’re not in the system. We should be ready to face dark times. But, for the first time, we can make a difference.”

Ace looked at Sabo, at his fast breath and his red cheeks. But he shook his head. “We can’t do it, Sabo.”

The disappointment was clear on Sabo’s face. “I’m planning to do it all myself. Public interviews, books, articles… You won’t have to do anything more than live as you prefer.”

“But we’ll still be the anomalies, right?”

“Yes,” Sabo admitted. “But I thought you didn’t care.”

“I don’t, but…” Ace’s gaze moved to Marco, who blinked.

“You’re protecting me?”

There was an amused tone in Marco’s voice, so Ace blushed. “Y0u’re the one who put up an act with our relationship to appear normal,” he replied. “You said it was important to protect your family and… I want to protect you too.”

“Which I thank you for.” Marco smiled. “But… Imagine I’m not here. Imagine I don’t have any problem with it. What do _you_ want to do?” Marco hesitated, then added, “Especially after what we found out a minute ago.”

Ace shivered, and avoided Sabo’s curious look. He took a deep breath. “Then I’d like Sabo to fuck up the Government,” he admitted.

Marco nodded. He moved his gaze to Sabo. “Please, do whatever you feel like.”

Sabo’s eyes didn’t brighten. “Are you sure about this?”

“I am,” Marco confirmed. “I think it’s a little too late to stay normal. And I think it’s safer this way. I highly doubt the Government will risk harming us again if everyone is informed about our… peculiarity.”

“What about the company?” Ace asked.

“It’ll be hard,” Marco admitted. “Having two Soulmates is worse than rejecting one, I guess. But my family will back me up.” He smiled as his gaze returned to Ace. “And I hope someone else too.”

Ace reciprocated the smile and nodded.

“He won’t be the only one,” Sabo assured. “I’ll try my best to save you from the public. I’ll be the focus of this story, not you two. In this way, I should be the one taking the most backslash.”

“But Sabo!” Ace moved in front of him. Their two foreheads touched. “You don’t have to sacrifice your life for it.”

“Yes, I do,” Sabo retorted. “This Soulmate thing rotted me on the inside… But you’re still able to see past it, so be happy, Ace.”

Ace sighed. “I have to tell you something.”

He took a step aside and lifted his right hand in the air, showing Sabo the back of his right hand. Sabo’s eyes widened, as he grabbed the hand and touched the tattoo with both of his thumbs.

“When did it appear?”

“Few minutes ago,” Ace said. “You can use it, too, right?”

“Yes, I can,” Sabo nodded. “But I want to be clear. This doesn’t matter. I don’t need a tattoo to care about you.”

“I know. But this time, I’m kinda happy. It looks like a Soulmate I chose, and I like it.” Then, Ace turned his head to Marco.

“I’m with Sabo here,” Marco said. “A tattoo doesn’t mean anything.”

Ace chuckled. “Well, too bad, because I was about to tell you I didn’t mind having your name on my hand now that I love you.”

Sabo burst out laughing seeing Marco’s face at Ace’s comment, followed soon after by Ace. The laughed, stopped only when Marco managed to get off the stretcher and reach Ace to kiss him.

***

It was Jozu who opened the door of the Whitebeard mansion. He was a man who spoke rarely, only when he needed to, but Marco couldn’t help but chuckle at Jozu’s expression when he saw him.

“Well, I don’t even get a ‘hello’?”

“Pops! Everyone! Marco is back!”

Marco had just taken a step inside when all his family threw themselves at him. Marco felt trapped in a web of arms and weeping faces.

“You should have called!”

“How did you get here?”

“You’re such a drama queen!”

“I missed you so much!”

“I was so worried…”

Marco found it difficult to follow all the voices and comments, so he answered with a generic “I’m fine, guys!” soon followed by a “but I won’t be for long if you keep gripping me so tight.”

In the end, his brothers recognized they had to let him go so Marco could breathe, even if some of them were still weeping, and others felt the need to keeping touch him just to make sure he was real.

In front of him was Pops, who was trying to keep his composure, but his eyes shined with tears. He gently put a trembling hand on Marco’s shoulder.

“Are you okay, son?”

Marco nodded. “Yes, now that I’m home.” He took a deep breath, then looked at his brothers, one after another. “I risked my life and I have a lot to tell you. Something to confess.”

Thatch raised an eyebrow. “We found your letter under the sweaters. We knew about your… problem.”

“And we don’t care,” Vista pointed out.

“You should have told us before,” Haruta complained. “Pops went on a rampage after reading that. He could have done it sooner.”

“I have to admit though, Garp helped me big time.” Pops’ eyes didn’t move from Marco.

“I apologize,” Marco nodded. “Like I said, I’ve a lot to tell you and a lot to be forgive for.” He shot a look at the clock behind the front door. “But first, we have to check something.”

Without any more explanation, he ran for the living room, where there were still traces of the presence of his family second before, as the abandoned cards and the half-full glasses showed. The television was on, but the channel was wrong, so Marco looked for the remote control.

“Do you want to watch television now?” Izou commented, as Pops looked at him worriedly.

“You’ll get it soon,” Marco assured them.

***

At the same moment, Ace was sitting on his sofa with Luffy’s arm around his torso. Luffy hadn’t left him since he’d entered the apartment, weeping and pouring his tears on his shirt.

“Where is Sabo? He’ll return, right?”

“Yes. Yes, of course.” Ace couldn’t help but smile, realizing how much he had missed Luffy, despite everything. “But now both me and Sabo need you.”

Luffy lifted his head and, realizing his brother was serious, nodded. He used his t-shirt to wipe his face. “Sure! I’ll protect you from everyone!” he declared, his expression decided.

“We’ll need it,” Ace assured him, rubbing his dark hair.

“What can I do?” Luffy asked.

“For now, listen.”

Ace nodded at the television, where Sabo’s face had just appeared.

“My name is Sabo. And I’m a man with two Soulmates.”

***

Sengoku smoked, almost literally, from his head. Garp looked at him with a mixture of admiration and awe, unsure if speaking would ruin that incredible sight.

“You don’t have to do it, you know?”

“Do what?” Sengoku spoke as he didn’t really listen.

“Resign.”

“And who do you think is at fault, here?” Sengoku regained his composure and looked at Garp with angry eyes.

“I’m not happy either that my son is the leader of the Revolutionary Army.”

 “I’m talking about you teaming up with Whitebeard and making a fuss at the _Soulmate Central Office_.”

“Oh. That.” Garp wandered around, playing innocent. “You didn’t even know about Caesar’s experiment, so you should thank me.”

“You forced the hand of the council. You forced my hand to expose Caesar’s doing and that was the result,” Sengoku explained. “If you told me in secret, maybe I could have done something better.”

“You mean you could have killed my grandson without me knowing,” Garp replied. That time, his tone was serious.

“You hid Gold Roger’s son.”

“Yes. And I’d do it again.” Garp sighed. “Listen, Sengoku, I’m sorry about the confusion. I wasn’t planning to agree with Whitebeard, but I returned from my mission only to find out my grandson was being kept captive against his will for no reason at all-”

“His Soulmate─” Sengoku tried to stop him, but Garp continued.

“So, when I met Whitebeard at the entrance and he was angry for the same reason it felt natural to bring him with me to our bosses.”

“Because you’re an idiot.” Sengoku sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I need some rest, after all, and what happens after Sabo Outlook’s revelation won’t be my problem. I should thank you.”

Garp smiled, but it was a bitter one. “Thing won’t be the same without you.”

Sengoku snorted. “That’s for sure.”

***

The incessant ring of the doorbell woke Ace up. He groaned, stretching his arms.

“Who the hell is it this early?”

“Actually, it’s almost lunch time.” Marco chucked.

Ace turned around, the sheets rolling up his body, and smiled. Marco was next to him, elbow propped up on the pillow, face leaning on his hand. The sheets didn’t cover his torso, so Ace could see his naked chest and the tattoo below his nipple.

“So why are you still here?”

“Waiting for you,” Marco answered, as if it was obvious.

Ace’s smile grew and he leaned forward to kiss him briefly. The doorbell kept ringing so, after another stretch of his arms, Ace stood up.

“I’m not sure they’ll be good news,” he admitted.

Since Sabo’s confession became viral, journalists and curious people had been bothering the Whitebeard Mansion endlessly, until Dogstorm and his security team made clear they wouldn’t be nice to anyone who tried to stalk the house. Still, they hadn’t seen any Government men yet.

They would come, sooner or later.

Marco nodded and followed Ace. They showered briefly and dressed before climbed down to the lower floor. Voices came from the dinner hall, and Marco frowned. Gently, he grabbed Ace’s arm and leaned him towards the pantry that was connected to the kitchen. From there, they could observe the dinner hall without being seen.

“Is that…?” Ace whispered and Marco nodded.

At the head of the table sat Sengoku, the Chairman of the _Soulmate Agency Defense Department_. Pops was on the other side and around him were all the other members of the Whitebeard Family. For now, each side looked at the other without speaking.

“I expected some of you, but not you in person.” Pops was the first one to break the silence.

Sengoku nodded. “This is a courtesy visit, the only one you’ll receive.”

Pops smirked. “So what do you want?”

“First of all, I apologize for what happened to your son and his Soulmate,” Sengoku said. “It was an unauthorized project by a person of the Scientific Department. We would have treated the situation differently.”

“Yeah, you would have killed them and got it over with,” Haruta said.

Sengoku didn’t comment. “We could have kept the situation under control, but it’s too late now. I can’t predict what will happen from now on. But I can give you advice.”

Izou snorted, but Pops’ face was serious. “Why?”

“Like I said, it’s my last courtesy for you before my retirement.” Sengoku smiled, because the news had some impact on the crowd. “I’m not sure what my successor will do, if they’ll prefer to keep the Soulmate Anomalies a secret, or if they’ll reveal them but treat them like garbage as they do now with Soulless people.”

“Nothing new. So?” Thatch said.

“And I can’t say how well the news about your General Manager being an anomaly will be taken from your investors and commercial partners,” Sengoku continued. “Especially because the Government will use it to attack you.”

“We can handle them, as we have until now,” Namur protested.

“But I have advice for you.”

“What is it?” Pops demanded.

“Make a statement denying Sabo Outlook’s testimony. If he doesn’t have you to back him up, all his words would be for nothing,” Sengoku finished. “This thing about the two Soulmates would remain only a conspiracy theory and your son will be able to stay with his Soulmate, as it should be.”

Ace grit his teeth and tightened his fist. Sengoku was asking him to betray his brother.

Never.

But he didn’t move, because a part of him was scared for this new family he just found. He took a deep breath and looked at Marco, finding a calm smile on his face. Marco nodded, then took a step forward and entered into the dinner hall.

“I apologize, Pops,” he said. “I’m about to drag this family into a big mess.” He turned to Sengoku, as Pops smiled. “I won’t make any declaration against Sabo. Actually, I’ll back him up every time I have the chance.”

Ace was at his side and, despite feeling a weigh on his heart, he spoke.

“Sabo’s my brother and I’ll never betray him. Never let him fight alone.”

Sengoku nodded. “I expected that much,” he affirmed. “That’s why I’m here. To give you advice and… to warn you.” His eyes were now focused to Ace. “The Government will use everything against you and your father’s identity will come in handy.”

Ace shivered. It was the first time he was told the Government knew about his father, but he soon realized it had been foolish to think they hadn’t found out. Ace wondered if Sabo knew how much Roger’s name could ruin his plan. He kept his eyes on Sengoku, refusing to look at the others.

Sengoku stood up. “Good luck. And don’t bother, I know the way.”

Only when he heard the front door slam did Thatch exclaim, “Okay, what was that?”

Marco put both his hands on Ace’s shoulders, a familiar gesture that relaxed Ace. “Tell them.”

Ace swallowed, then moved his gaze from the floor to Pops. “My father was Gold Roger,” he murmured. “My mother wasn’t his Soulmate, I’m not the son of two Soulmates,” he clarified, just to be sure everyone got the problem. “The Government will use this information to prove I’m the anomaly and that everything Sabo is saying is fake.”

Ace grit his teeth. It was what saddened him the most. He promised Sabo he would back him up but in the end he would sink him just from existing. Sabo didn’t deserve that.

“And probably having me in your family could be dangerous for your affairs too.”

Pops looked at him for a long, eternal instant. Then, he stretched. “Thatch, it’s launch time, isn’t it? Do something simple, we must save for grim times ahead.”

Thatch shrugged. “At worst, we can sell Fossa’s cars.”

“Hey!”

Ace blinked, and Marco chuckled at his shocked expression, since everyone else behaved as if they didn’t care at all. Pops placed one of his gigantic hands on Ace’s shoulder.

“Welcome _home_ , son.”

***

“Mh. Mmm.”

Koala interrupted the silence only with small grunts as she read and corrected the paper in front of her.

“You don’t like it,” Sabo commented, since he was tired of waiting for her to finish.

“It’s a little boring,” Koala admitted. An apologetic smile was on her face. “It’s not easy speaking about yourself, I know that.”

“Your autobiography was wonderful,” Sabo pouted.

“It has my writing,” Koala pointed out. She moved to sit down on the couch next to him. “You just have to take a pause, then start again. The second, the third time… It becomes easier once you put your story into words after the first time.”

Sabo nodded, but looked at the paper he’d written with disgust. It would be nearly impossible to convince people about the wrongness of the _Soulmate System_ if he wasn’t able to describe well how much it’d ruined his life.

“Let’s take a break and think about your next interview, okay?” Koala gave an encouraging smile.

“Okay.” Sabo checked his cellphone, which just vibrated, then nodded.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

Koala crossed her arms and frowned, a clear sign she wouldn’t do anything until she got an answer.

“It’s Luffy,” Sabo said with a sigh. “Ace and Marco are moving into a new house and he’s asking me to give them a hand with the luggage.”

“I thought they lived at Whitebeard’s place.”

“That was their initial plan, but apparently Marco’s brothers are a little bit… intrusive.” Sabo laughed. “Which is amazing because, you know, _Luffy_.”

Koala smiled. “Yeah, Ace should be used to it.”

“It’s not the only reason, though. Ace doesn’t want Marco’s money, so a new house will allow them to split the rent.”

“I see.” Koala didn’t add anything, arms still crossed and head tilted.

“What?”

“Why don’t you go? Helping with the moving, I mean.”

Sabo sighed. “You know I can’t.”

“No.” Koala shook his head. “I know you think you can’t.”

“Because _I can’t_ ,” Sabo replied. “Marco’s my Soulmate. I’m fighting against that.”

“But Ace’s your brother,” Koala said. “Plus, you’re fighting against a system that forces people to do things they don’t want to. Refusing to go and help Ace and Marco is part of the system.”

It was the same things Marco had told him. Sabo grit his teeth. They were right. Koala stood up and recovered all the papers.

“Anyway, your book sucks for now and you don’t have any appointments today, so you can go.”

Sabo sighed. “I hate when you’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

“That’s the point.”

But Sabo smiled as he looked at his cellphone: Luffy had written down the address of Ace’s new apartment. He looked at the map to check how to get there.

“But thank you.”

Sabo left the revolutionary base, took the metro and, in half an hour, he reached the Wa District. He followed the cellphone to find the house, until he saw a van with the back door open and a big man unloading packages.

“Mister Oars?” He blinked, recognizing the janitor of the university. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, hi!” Oars greeted him with a big smile, as Sabo approached him. “I’m a member of the Security Team of the Whitebeard Corporation now!” he said with pride. “I’m helping the General Manager with the moving.”

“Oh, nice… I didn’t know that.”

“Sure, the dean only sponsored his layoff.”

It was Marco’s voice and Sabo turned to see him on the doorstep, a smile on his face.

“I don’t mind,” Oars commented. “I’m a lot happier now…”

“We’re happy to have you here,” Marco nodded. “Can you keep an eye on the packages until we’re done putting things inside? Then you can go for today, Dogstorm said he’d like to teach you something else before sending you in the field.”

“Of course! My pleasure!”

Marco grabbed a couple boxes from the ground and moved inside. Sabo imitated him and, for a while, they both worked without speaking. As Sabo put down the last two, Marco remained outside to give Oars the last instructions, so Sabo took a chance to look at the apartment.

It was a two floor flat. Near the door there was a spiral staircase to go up where, Sabo guessed, there was the bedroom and the bathroom, since the ground floor only had a kitchen and living room. Or at least what Sabo thought would be the living room, since right now it was a big room filled only with boxes.

Three big windows allowed the sun to light the room. Sabo moved and opened one of them. The handle moved easily and the garden outside was nice, even if the grass needed to be cut. Sabo sighed as he felt the sun on the skin.

“We weren’t sure about the garden, since it’s hard to take care of, but since I’ve a lot of brothers, we need as much space as possible,” Marco filled in, as he closed the door behind him.

“At least you can open the window,” Sabo commented, bitter, without looking at him.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.”

“That was the plan.”

“What made you change your mind?”

Sabo sighed, as he closed the window and moved again to the center of the room.

“Where are Ace and Luffy?”

“They’re bringing our furniture for the living room,” Marco explained. “We ordered everything but the kitchen from IKEA because it was cheaper, but we have to collect and assemble everything by ourselves.” Marco chuckled. “You missed out when we did the same with the bedroom.”

“Luffy was here?”

Marco gave a very meaningful smile. “Yes.”

Sabo laughed. “Then I can image.”

“Do you like it?” Marco asked, widening his arm to show the room. In some way, he was filling the silence.

“Yes.” Sabo nodded. “I haven’t see the upper floor yet, and it’s hard to say without the furniture but… it looks nice.”

Marco searched in his pocket, then moved near Sabo. He grabbed his hand and placed something Sabo recognized as keys in his palm. Sabo blinked, but he didn’t back away.

“What is it?”

“The keys to this house.” Marco waited a second, then continued, “It was Ace’s idea, but I agree with him. So you can come here whenever you need to.”

Sabo breathed hard. “I can’t accept it.”

“Why?”

“You know why!” Sabo shouted, but Marco’s grip had tightened on his hand. “The people out there… They should know having two Soulmates means nothing. That having a Soulmate Tattoo means nothing. You and Ace are already together, I just can’t…”

“I understand.” Marco nodded.

He closed Sabo’s fingers around the keys and stepped aside. He knelled down to open one of the boxes and checked what was inside.

“I won’t tell you anything about my feelings for you, then. Neither will Ace,” he stated. “And we won’t ask you anything about yours. But please, keep the keys. You’re on a hard path and you’ll need a place to stay from time to time.”

Sabo stared at Marco’s back, saying nothing. His arm slumped back to his side, hand lazily closed around the keys. The he looked at the kitchen, visible through an open door, and his mind imagined things he sent away by shaking his head.

The silence was unbearable, but Sabo had nothing to say and Marco was letting him reflect, so they had no choice but accepted it, hearing only their other breaths.

Finally, to Sabo’s relief, the main door opened and Luffy entered as a storm.

“Marco! I convinced Ace to have sushi tonight!” Then Luffy spotted Sabo. “You’re here!” He jumped on him, his arms rolled up at his torso. “Finally!”

“Sorry if I’m late. Sushi, then?” Sabo smiled.

Marco chuckled. “First work, then food. Luffy, help me with this.”

“Okay!”

As Marco and Luffy moved upstairs with some of the boxes, Ace entered the living room dragging an enormous package. The furniture bought from IKEA, Sabo guessed.

Ace turned to find a place to set the packaged, and his gaze ended up on Sabo. His eyes bulged, but he didn’t say anything. Sabo reciprocated the gaze. Then he lifted his arm. Ace followed the movement as Sabo slowly placed the keys in his pocket.


	5. Epilogue

_We live in a society of illusion. We can’t believe in anything. A photo can be fake, a conversation can be fake, even a tattoo can be faked. We can’t trust people._

_And now, everyone goes around believing a blatant lie like people with two Soulmates? Are you all out of your mind?_

_A Soulmate is, by default, one. Two persons drawn together by the force of love, destined to live together and happy forever and ever. Love is the only thing a man can believe these days._

_Please don’t believe a dangerous, evil man like that Outlook who only likes to destroy the very base of our happiness. You all know-_

Marco entered the living room in time to see Ace shut down the television and, not satisfied, throw the control at the screen.

“As much as I agree that the anchor’s words are bullshit, I’m not sure breaking our television is a good idea.” Marco chuckled.

Ace startled, hearing his voice, but then scoffed. “He was insulting Sabo,” he stated. He played with his elastic band for a second, then he grabbed it between his lips while he gathered his hair. “I can’t stand it.”

“I don’t mind.” Sabo’s voice came from below.

Marco drew near and, beyond the sofa’s back, he saw Sabo lying down, his head using Ace’s legs as a pillow and his eyes closed. Marco took the elastic band from Ace’s mouth and used it to tie up Ace’s hair.

“We all knew it would happen,” he commented.

“And they’re insulting you too,” Sabo added. “Saying you tattooed your hands by yourself.”

“Idiots.” Ace snorted again. “I can’t help but get angry when people talk shit about you, okay? You don’t deserve it.”

“And that’s why we loved you,” Marco said, kissing his forehead and making him blush. “Are you staying for dinner, Sabo?” he asked as he moved towards the kitchen.

“Well,” Sabo hesitated. “I’m not sure it’s be appropriate.”

“Please?” Ace begged, with a little pout, and Sabo smiled.

“Okay. But only for tonight.”

Marco chuckled. “How many times has he said that?”

“I lost count,” Ace replied with a laugh. Ducking Sabo’s kick, he moved to help Marco in the kitchen.


End file.
